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1
BICYCLING FOR LADIES
<- '
t
The Common Sense of Bicycling
Bicycling for Ladies
WITH HINTS AS TO THE ART OF WHEELING-
Advice to Beginners—Dress— Care of
THE Bicycle-Mechanics— Train-
ing-Exercise, Etc., Etc.
BY
V
MARIA E. WAELD
ILLUSTRATED
^«
CHICAGO
View ]|h)cft:
BRENTANO'S
Washington
Paris
0>pyriffht^ i8q6^ by
BRENT AN O'S
BICYCLING FOR LADIES
I
PREFACE
I HAVE found that in bicycling, as in other sports
essayed by them, women and girls bring upon them-
selves censure from many sources. I have also
found that this censure, though almost invariably
deserved, is called forth not so much by what they
do as the way they do it.
It is quite natural to suppose, in attempting an
unaccustomed exercise, that you have to do only
what you see done and as others about you are do-
ing. But to attain success in bicycling, as in other
things, it is necessary to study the means as well as
to look to the end to be attained, and to understand
what must not be attempted as well as to know each
step that will be an advance on the road to progress.
A great deal has been said against attempting to
study a little of anything; but when a slight knowl-
edge of several important branches of science that
bear directly upon a subject under consideration,
and that a subject concerning the health and safety
of many individuals, will render one intelligently
self-dependent, and able at least to exercise without
X PREFACE.
endangering one's own health or the lives of others,
the acquisition of such knowledge should not be neg-
lected.
There are laws of mechanics and of physiology
that directly concern the cyclist; it has been the
author's aim to point out these laws, showing, for
instance, the possible dangers of exercise, and how
they may be avoided by the application to bicycle
exercise of simple and well-known physiological
laws, thus enabling the cyclist to resist fatigue and
avoid over-exertion. The needs of the bicyclist are
an intelligent comprehension of the bicycle as a ma-
chine, an appreciative knowledge of the human ma-
chine that propels it, and a realization of the fact
that rider and bicycle should form one combined
mechanism. For this, a knowledge of the laws that
determine the limits and possibilities of both me-
chanisms is necessary. The cyclist is limited, not
only by laws physiological and laws mechanical,
which determine when and for how long he may
travel, but he is restricted by the laws and ordinances
of county, town and village as to how and where he
may travel. A knowledge of these laws is lalso
necessary.
While not attempting to treat any of these subjects
exhaustively, the author has endeavored to place
them comprehensively before her readers, hoping to
prepare the enthusiast to enjoy all the delights of the
sport, to encourage the timid, and to assist the in-
experienced to define and determine existing limita-
tions. The subject of the care of the bicycle has
been carefully treated, some of the means at hand
PREFACE. XI
suggested, and the necessary tool^gnd their uses ex-
plained. Other topics considered are how the bicy-
cle is propelled, and why it maintains its balance;
what the cyclist should learn, how correct form may
be attained and faults avoided, and what should be
the essential features of the clothing worn.
The author wishes to acknowledge indebtedness to
Dr. Legrange, and to Messrs. D. Appleton & Co.
for their permission to quote from * * Physiology of
Bodily Exercise."
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE.
CHAPTER I,
Possibilities i
CHAPTER II,
What the Bicycle Does 8
CHAPTER III.
On Wheels in General and Bicycles in Par-
ticular 14
CHAPTER IV,
For Beginners 22
CHAPTER V,
How to Make Progress 29
CHAPTER VI.
Helping and Teaching; What to Learn 37
CHAPTER VII.
A Few Things to Remember 47
CHAPTER VIII
The Art of Wheeling on a Bicycle 56
CHAPTER IX.
Position and Power 71
XIT CONTENTS C«JNriNUEX>.
DiFFICCLriES TO OvEACOME 82
Diless 93
CH-AFTEJl AV/-
Watch axd Cyclometeh 100
CHAFTEJ^ xr::.
WoMFX ANO Tools 112
CSiAFTEIi XZl\
Tov^LS AXD H.^vr ro Use Them 118
Solving; a Proflem 125
u\^^^ F rE.^ xrL
Where to Kffp a Bxycle 138
^\v-^ **ri^.? A";v/.
Tires 145
t\v.^/*rjrx XiW'i.
Mechanics of Bicyci ixo 156
Adjustment 164
CS-z AFTER XX.
Exercise 170
CIt AFTER XXL
Training 175
CH AFTER xx::.
Breathlessness ; The Limit Mechanical 189
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Wheeling from the Peg — Showing In-
clination OF Wheel
Correct Position — Leaning with the
Wheel
Incorrect Position — Leaning Against
THE Inclination ....
Proper Way to Stand a Bicycle
Carrying the Bicycle
Picking Up a Bicycle ....
Leading a Bicycle About .
Preparing to Dismount
Dismounting
Correct Pedaling
F0LJ.0WING Pedal
Lifting
Back Pedaling
Back Pedaling — Showing Distribution
OF Weight
Hill-Climbing — Pushing Crank Over .
Coasting
Wheeling One Foot Over .
Wheeling from the Peg — Showing Dis-
tribution OF Weight
Preparing to Mount — Showing In-
clination
Frontispiece
Opposite Page 22
24
30
32
34
38
40
42
56
58
60
62
64
66
72
74
76
82
XVI
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS — CONTINUED.
Incorrect Mounting Position
Mounting — Preparatory Position
Correct Mounting Position
Mounting — Second Position
Dismounting Over the Wheel
Mounting Over the Wheel from Peg
Starting a Nut
Adjusting a Wrench
Applying Power
Screwing Up .
Unscrewing
Preparing to Turn Bicycle Over
Turning the Bicycle Over .
The Bicycle Turned Over .
Straightening the Handle-Bars .
opposite Page 84
( t .t
86
«t <(
88
t< 1 (
90
(I it
92
<( ((
94
t( (1
112
<« 4 t
116
(f «l
118
(( t (
120
<( <*
122
(« »«
126
tt (f
128
(i («
130
<i C(
136
BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
CHAPTER I,
Possibilities.
Bicycling is a modern sport, offering infinite
variety and opportunity. As an exercise, at present
unparalleled, it accomplishes much with compara-
tively little expenditure of effort; as a relaxation, it
has many desirable features; and its limitless possi<
bilities, its future of usefulness, and the effect of
its application to modern economic and social con-
ditions, present a wide field for speculation.
Bicycling possesses many advantages, and is with-
in the reach of nearly all. For the athlete and the
sportsman, it opens up new worlds; for the family it
solves problems; for the tired and hurried worker,
it has many possibilities. The benefits to be de-
rived from the exercise cannot be ever-estimated
and the dangers that result from over-doing are cor-
respondingly great; for it is easy to over-exert when
exhilarated with exercise and unconscious of
fatigue.
It is but recently that the bicycle has become a
perfected mechanism, adaptable to general usage,
a BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
Simple and scientific. The railroad makes possible
direct and rapid communication between widely
separated localities. The usefulness of the bicycle
begins where that of the railroad ceases, for it con-
nects and opens districts of country that the railroad
has not reached ; indeed, it is to the bicycle in con-
nection with the railroads with which the country is
gridironed that we must look to make possible the
enjoyment of much that is beautiful and valuable,
but otherwise inaccessible. To the naturalist, the
traveller, and the intelligent observer, cycling offers
advantages which are limited only by time and
opportunity.
Bicycling has been adapted to serve many pur-
poses; but it is bicycling as an athletic exercise and
sport, with the bicycle propelled by human power
only, that we shall now consider. The history of the
bicycle is modern. The study of its evolution shows
the development of a great industry, constantly in-
troducing and applying improvements; most impor-
tant of these was the pneumatic tire, which made
bicycling universally possible.
Getting under way for even a short cruise awheel
has some of the features familiar to the yachtsman.
To the skater, the motion is not unlike the rapid,
swaying movement on the ice, the silence and the
rush of succeeding strokes. To the horseman, the
dissimilarity of the two modes of locomotion, after
the settling to work has been accomplished, is very
striking. For the uninitiated and for some others,
bicycling does not possess attractions. The bicycle
is a familiar object, not compelling a second thought.
POSSIBILITIES. 3
One reason for this is that it is not really brought to
the intelligent notice of the casual passer. The
cyclist, to the stationary observer or the compara-
tively stationary pedestrian, is such a fleeting instan-
taneosity that, unless thrown among enthusiasts
over the sport, few of the unenlightened would be
tempted to try it; for they are as unappreciative of
what the wheel means to the cyclist as is the coun-
tryman, who lives near a railway, of the intricacies
of commerce which are indicated by the flying mail.
To the lover of out-door life the bicycle presents
a succession of wonderful possibilities. Much has
been written of canoe- trips and of the charms of
cruising among our inland waters; as charming and
as attractive is land travel on the wheel. Bicycling,
moreover, combines the best features of many other
sports with advantages peculiar to it, for instance,
the cyclist must work, and there is much pleasure in
watching progress made with so little effort — the
work all his own, the machine but a means of loco-
motion — enjoying and appreciating all the beauties
of the country traversed, while yet conscious of the
power to hasten away as soon as the surroundings
cease to interest or amuse. By the scientist and the
naturalist, no encouragement is needed; the bicycle
at once compels their attention. The lover of
horses may fear that this new mode of locomotion
may interfere with his sport — the same objection
that was advanced against the introduction of the
steam engine. But the bicycle does not displace; it
is rather a link in the chain connecting driving and
railroading. Bicycling, furthermore, means good
4 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
roads, not as a luxury, but as a necessity, for it is
impossible without them. Rough country may be
crossed, but the bicycle must be pushed or carried
across it, and this is not practicable for any consid-
erable distance.
The bicycle, though a simple machine, is a com-
plicated mechanism simplified. The principle that
keeps it from falling is a well-known one — that of
the gyroscope, the only known mechanism that over-
comes gravity.
The bicycle has its limits, determined by the
• powers of its rider and the surface ridden over. The
motion is unquestionably fascinating after the con-
trol of the machine is acquired; and there is an ac-
companying exhilaration that is peculiar to the
sport, and always something to conquer, something
to accomplish, besides the direct benefit to be derived
from the exercise.
There is a great variety of methods of bicycling,
whether for exercise, transportation or travel. In
travelling, the country all about soon becomes, as it
were, your own domain. Instead of a few squares,
you know several towns; instead of an acquaintance
with the country for a few miles about, you can
claim familiarity with two or three counties; an all-
day expedition is reduced to a matter of a couple of
hours; and unless a break-down occurs, yoM are at
all times independent. This absolute freedom of
the cyclist can be known only to the initiated, and
as proficiency is acquired, it becomes a most at-
tractive feature of the sport.
There is bicycling weather, as there is skating
POSSIBILITIES, 5
weather, yachting weather, or weather favorable for
any out-door sport or exercise. But it is easy to
wait for bicycling weather, and nothing has to make
way for it. The machine is always ready, and that
is all that is needed if a suitable country is acces-
sible. On the road the bicyclist is rendered inde-
pendent of assistance, for everything needful is pre-
pared for him, and parts and repair supplies can be
carried and need but little room. Only inattention
or carelessness should cause delay. Still, proper
preparation is essential to enjoy bicycling at its best,
and the bicyclist should be ready to meet any emer-*
gency.
That there is necessarily the element of sociability
about cycling is evident. There are so many stops,
and the dusty wheelmen grouped among their
wheels at the roadside have always the bond of a
common interest; from this, transition to individual
fads and fancies is easy; there is constant opportu-
nity for acquiring special knowledge and for using
it; and almost every accomplishment is appreciated
in addition to capability as a bicyclist, and may be
utilized in a variety of ways; cheerfulness is an in-
variable factor; and there is always novelty and the
possibilit}'' of excitement, for it is unusual, on a bi-
cycle trip, that everything happens as it is expected
or has been planned for.
Too much cannot be said of the benefits to be de-
rived from out-door exercise; and one of the best
features of bicycling is that it brings so many to en-
joy out-door life who would otherwise have little of
either fresh air or exercise. Proper oxidation is
6 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
necessary to perfect health. The great danger that
these would-be bicyclists must face is unfamiliarity
with exercise, either general or special. Persons ac-
customed to athletic exercise know how to prepare
for and how to resist fatigue, know what practice
means and how proficiency may be attained. The
bicyclist unaccustomed to athletics has all this to
learn, and more; to him, ultimate success means
more time given to study and less time to practice.
The novice, however, has the advantage that he has
nothing to unlearn, and can profit by the experience
of others.
To accomplish the best results, the human ma-
chine must not be overworked ; and to stop work at
the right moment is one of the hardest things to
learn, and the most important to success. To learn
the construction of a bicycle, the particular duties of
all the parts and their adjustment, is a matter of
memory and observation. To understand the adjust-
ment of the human machine to mechanical environ-
ment requires cultivated perception and special
knowledge. But the human machine is so indepen-
dently adaptable, so hard to put out of order, that it
may be cared for by intelligent attention to only a
few simple laws. Do not wait for danger signals:
know how to avoid them.
Bicycling opens a delightful future to all who at-
tempt it intelligently. The inspiration of the enthu-
siast is invaluable; but it is the practical theorist
who is succesful.
A bright, sunny morning, fresh and cool; good
roads and a dry atmosphere ; a beautiful country be-
POSSIBILITIES. 7
fore you, all your own to see and to enjoy; a proper-
ly adjusted wheel awaiting you,-:— what more delight-
ful than to mount and speed away, the whirr of the
wheels, the soft grit of the tire, an occasional chain-
clank the only sounds added to the chorus of the
morning, as, the pace attained, the road stretches
away before you!
CHAPTER II.
IVhat the Bicycle ^Does.
The bicycle has been evolved — a mechanism, pro-
pelled solely by human power, capable of quadru-
pling the distance traversable by the pedestrian.
The simple, light, and almost universally ac-
cepted machine is constructed to stand a strain tre-
mendous in proportion to its weight; for the modern
machine weighs only twenty pounds, and it may be
lighter, though for some purposes it should be
heavier. The bicyclist is virtually mounted on a
set of casters, which propels the weight with much
greater ease than can be attained in the act of walk-
ing. In walking, advantage is taken of the force
of gravity by continually falling forward, and simul-
* taneously placing the feet, with a regular motion,
one beyond the other, to alternately receive the
weight of the body. On the bicycle, the weight is
carried and supported, and the wheels reduce fric-
tion to a minimum.
The wheel being set in motion, power is applied
to overcome inertia, and speed is increased by
multiplying the number of the wheel's revolu-
tions; the application of the gyroscope principle
assists materially, and the resistance of gravity is
WHAT THE BICYCLE DOES, 9
overcome in a degree while the wheels are rapidly
revolving.
To set a bicycle in motion requires the expendi-
ture of considerable power. A given rate of speed
on the level may be maintained by a minimum ex-
penditure of power. Bodies or masses set in motion
maintain their velocity undiminished unless other
forces intervene. The bicycle in motion is resisted
on the level by air pressure and friction, on the
roadway by friction, and by the incidental obstacles
of the road. On an ascending plane, it must over-
come the additional resistance of its own and its
rider's weight, which must be lifted constantly; on
a descending plane, it must oppose a constantly les-
sening resistance. All this resistance and lack of
resistance means a proportionate stress laid upon
the bic3''cle, the wheels of which are all the while
kept rapidly revolving, the large wheels moving
much faster than the cranks and pedals.
Each separate part of a bicycle must be made
capable of withstanding a certain wear and strain,
and must perform its own particular duties and
work in conjunction with all other parts of the
machine. To this end, it has been studied, per-
fected, tested; its weight and tensile strength calcu-
lated to a nicety; its finish and adjustment made
matters of deep thought and careful investigation.
Only the best can be made to do in bicycle manu-
facture; each piece of metal must be separately
tested, and the maximum of strength with the mini-
mum of weight must be attained. What is known
as the safety factor enters largely into the construe-
lO BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
tion of the modern bicycle ; that is, the machine is
made much stronger than is necessary for the strain
it is expected to withstand; this added strength in-
volving of course the added weight of the material
which supplies it. The calculated strength of a ma-
chine is the strength which fits it adequately to per-
form its work. When, as in the bicycle, the accu-
rate testing by skilled workmen proves the existence
of this degree of strength, the safety factor mean-
while being reduced to the lowest possible limit, the
product is the perfected result of the highest degree
of skill. Each part is tested for so many pounds
strain or tension or compression, and each strain is
accurately figured for each particular part; each part,
moreover, must be able to stand so much additional
strain, more than it is ever likely to have thrown
upon it, though no bicycle is built to withstand the
shock of collision under speed. In case of collision,
the older, heavy bicycle was not smashed into frag-
ments, as is the modern twenty-pounder. Some-
thing would give way, perhaps; it might break in
several places. The light modern wheel holds to-
gether or is crushed to pieces, though its rider is
less likely to sufiEer serious injury, the lighter
construction having less power to do damage
than the cumbrous wheel of fifty or sixty pounds
weight.
The cost of a well-made bicycle, of perfect work-
manship and finish, represents the amount of skilled
labor required to construct it rather than the value
of the raw material, although, when it is remembered
that each part must be tough, hard, strong and
WHA T THE BICYCLE DOES, 1 1
elastic, it will be apparent that only the best of
material can be used.
Wheels can be made at a very low cost; but such
wheels cannot be correctly adjusted and tested with-
out the additional cost of skilled labor. For the pro-
duction of a perfect bicycle, the machine of tested
strength, simplicity of detail, and beauty of finish,
the most accurate workmanship as well as the best
material is necessary. A machine or a tool should
always be the best of its kind, and it pays to take
care of it. A bicycle requires as nice and accurate
adjustment as a watch, and like a watch, with regular
attention afterwards, will run steadily and smooth-
ly. A bicycle, moreover, as much or more than a
watch, is individual property, and each individual
wants the best.
Our physical powers have been tested in certain
directions; in walking, for instance, we know what
we can do, how far we can go, how much it is wise
to attempt. The bicycle appeals to us as a means
of swift locomotion attained without other force
than our own powers four or five times multiplied
by mechanical processes. The bicycle enables one
to do, to prove one's powers; it puts one in conceit
with one's self. When one is not a pedestrian,
does not care for equestrian pleasures — and, indeed,
in the majority of cases, there is little to compel at-
tention to these means of recreation — the bicycle
offers the opportunity to find the limit of one's
powers in a new field. It supplies, too, a new
pleasure — the pleasure of going where one wills,
because one wills. The attention has only to be di-
12 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
rected, and the wheel, responsive to touch or
thought, moves in unison with the rider's will,
flitting hither and thither, that he may enjoy
the freshness of nature and the ever-changing
beauty of clouds and sky, of sunshine and shadow,
of meadow and sea, lake and river, mountain and
forest.
Riding the wheel, our own powers are revealed to
us, a new sense is seemingly created. The unobserv-
ing are gradually awakened, and the keen observer is
thrilled with quick and rare delight. The system is
invigorated, the spirit is refreshed, the mind, freed
from care, swept of dusty cobwebs, is filled with
new and beautiful impressions. You have con-
quered a new world, and exultingly you take pos-
session of it.
Travelling by vehicle or by any public convey-
ance, the sense of individual responsibility is re-
duced to the minimum ; it is indeed no appreciable
factor. You pay so much to be taken up and set
down, so much for a reasonable amount of safety,
comfort, and convenience. Mounted on a wheel,
you feel at once the keenest sense of responsibility.
You are there to do as j^ou will within reasonable
limits; you are continually being called upon to
judge and to determine points that before have not
needed your consideration, and consequently you
become alert, active, quick-sighted, and keenly alive
as well to the rights of others as to what is due your-
self. You are responsible to yourself for your-
self; you are responsible to the public for your-
self; and you are responsible to the public for
y
WHAT THE BICYCLE DOES, 1 3
the rights of others. The upholding of laws
and ordinances, the general welfare, public
health and safetj' — problems never before, per-
haps, called to your attention — come up one by
one for consideration. In short, individual duty,
recognition of the rights of others, consideration of
means for the proper enforcing of laws, all are sug-
gested to the awakening mind of the bicyclist. The
bicycle is an educational factor, subtle and far-reach-
ing, creating the desire for progress, the preference
for what is better, the striving for the best, broaden-
ing the intelligence and intensifying love of home
and country. For all that is beautiful is ours — ours
to protect and to cherish.
To the many who earnestly wish to be actively at
work in the world, the opportunity has come; they
need but to come face to face with it to solve this
problem of something to conquer, something to
achieve.
CHAPTER IIL
On Wheels in General and Bicycles in Particular.
The form of the wheel is very ancient, its con-
struction modern, even recent. Its evolution has
been gradual. First came the round stick or roller,
placed beneath a weight; then a roller with its cen-
tral portion shaped and thinned to lessen friction ;
then two disk-shaped sections of a log, connected by
a bar upon which they revolved, replaced the clumsy-
stick.
Each wheel or disk then began to receive separate
attention. There was the wear on the edge or rim
to be considered, and it was found that if its surface
were protected, the disk would last indefinitely long-
er. Then it was noticed that the hole in the centre
of the disk wore unevenly, and it was reinforced,
and the hub began to take form. When the rim was
strong and the central portion of the wheel remained
intact, the disk was found to be heavier and stronger
than it need to be to support the outer portion of the
wheel. Some of the useless heavy part was removed,
and the disk pierced with holes to make it lighter;
then these holes were shaped between the remaining
portions, which took the form of pillars or spokes.
A pillar would break, and be replaced by a rounded
WHEELS IN GENERAL, 15
Stick; and thus, perhaps, the rude idea took form of
constructing a wheel out of several pieces, for the
sake of securing economy, durability, and lightness.
A wheel, then, was well constructed, with a large,
heavy piece in the centre to stand friction and bear
weight, and with the rim made of several pieces, each
piece supported on a spoke, and all held together by
a band called a tire. In the course of time the hub
became heavier, the spokes thinner, the rim strong-
er and lighter, and the tire narrower. The bar con-
necting two wheels was made very strong, with
smooth ends for the wheels to revolve easily upon.
Pins were driven into holes in the projecting ends
of the axle, or bar, and later the pins replaced by
knobs, or nuts. Then the wheels were brought
closer together, and found to run more easily; and
the tire, cutting too deep into soft surfaces, was
widened. Attention, moreover, was paid to the road-
way, very bad places being filled and smoothed.
A wheel is defined as **a circular frame turning
on an axle*'; an axle as **a shaft or rod, either solid
or hollow, on which a wheel is placed." The first
bicycle wheels were constructed like carriage wheels,
the limit of that method of construction arrived at.
The rim was supported on the spokes, which rested
on the hub. The minimum definite quantity of ma-
terial was ascertained, but the wheel was still too
heavy and bulky. If the weight of material was les-
sened, however, it would fall to pieces.
The bicycle wheel of to-day is a compound mechan-
ism constructed on reverse principles. The wheel
is made on the principle of suspension, an inverted
1 6 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
application of weight and thrust. The hub is hung
from the rim, and the axle supported in that way.
Each bicycle wheel is really two wheels, graceful in
form, with but one rim, and with two hubs, one on
either end of a short axle, the spokes being drawn
to a common rim, and made stiff enough to carry
weight, and elastic enough to withstand shock.
The rim or frame is elastic and durable. To this
rim many wire spokes are fastened, and the hubs
for each wheel are centred and hung from them.
The hubs and axle are wider than the rim of the
wheel, and the spokes are fastened alternately to
either end, thus giving a tangent strain which
stiffens the wheel and gives it strength. The tire is
a separate construction, possessing several individual
features. The only office of the old tire was to pro-
tect the rim of the wheel from wear; the pneumatic
tire protects the rim, presents a good friction sur-
face, and is enabled by its elasticity to take the shock
and jar of the entire bicycle.
In order that the wheel may turn, the axle must
be lubricated; otherwise the inside of the hub will
become hot, and wear the face of the axle a little
rough. The surfaces then cannot pass, but remain
fixed and immovable, and the wheel cannot turn.
The introduction of a third material of a different
consistency between the revolving surfaces prevents
their wearing against each other, and the lubricant
is rubbed and rubbed again; there is so little of the
lubricant that it does not accumulate sufiSciently to
cause resistance, and the moving surfaces slip
smoothly over each other.
WHEELS IN GENERAL. 1 7
The axle of a modern bicycle wheel is compound,
and although there are two ends to the axle, there is
but one rim to the wheel. The rim carries all the
weight distributed from many points at once; the
weights resist each other, and give strength and
stiffness. The axle really carries double, two
wheels with but one rim ; and each end of the axle
is supported at so many points that it possesses
great weight-carrying power in proportion to the
weight of material used in its construction. The
weight of the frame is supported on the axles of the
rear and front wheels. Of its construction it is suffi-
cient to say that the weight is taken up on the
thrust principle and that wherever a pbint of sup-
port for the thrust is located, the frame is strength-
ened to support and resist the thrust.
By a mechanical application of power, the power
of the pressure of the foot on the pedal is multiplied,
one revolution of the pedal crank causing the rear
wheel to revolve a number of times. In the chain
gear the mechanical means is a large wheel on the
axle to which the pedal cranks are attached, and a
smaller wheel on the axle of the rear wheel. There
are teeth on both these wheels, the large wheel hav-
ing the greater number. The band or chain passing
over the large sprocket-wheel has links which en-
gage each tooth of the wheel as the chain passes
over it, and as that wheel revolves, it pulls the
chain over, link by link.
The small wheel is also provided with teeth, and
every time the large sprocket-wheel is turned, if
only a little way, it pulls the chain link by link, and
1 8 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
the chain link by link pulls the rear wheel tooth by
tooth. The small sprocket-wheel revolves as the
chain pulls it, revolving of tener than the large wheel
to keep count with it tooth for tooth. The number
of teeth on the sprocket-wheels determines the multi-
plicity of revolutions of the rear wheel.
The rear wheel revolves very rapidly, in the pro-
cess becoming virtually a gyroscope ; and a gyro-
scope will maintain the plane in which it revolves
unless other forces intervene. The front wheel
takes its motion from the friction of the surface over
which it is propelled, and after the bicycle is in mo-
tion, the forces that are applied to control and direct
its movement are friction and resistance. After the
cyclist is mounted, there is the added complication
of a constantly shifting centre of gravity, caused by
change of balance. The steering is effected by
changing the direction of the front wheel, the rear
wheel being enabled to follow by a slight slipping
over the wheeling surface. If the change of direc-
tion is too abrupt, the rear wheel will slip enough
to lose its hold on the surface, and the weight of
the rider will be suddenly shifted from above the
point of support (the axle of the rear wheel) to the
top of the rim of the wheel, thus becoming a lever
with the weight on the end of the long arm, and the
bicycle falls over.
As the wheels revolve, there is a constant pull on
tire and rim. Just as the chain is pulled over the
sprocket-wheels, the tire is pulled by friction over
the surface ridden on. If this surface affords the
tire no hold, it is impossible for the wheel to ad-
WHEELS IN GENERAL. 19
vance, as on a muddy surface. The crank may im-
part a motion to the wheel, but this motion will not
enable the wheel to maintain its place; or if, in
overcoming the cranks at the dead centre, too much
weight is applied to one side of the wheel, the same
thing occurs, and the wheel falls over. There are a
number of mechanical means for conveying the mo-
tion of the foot to the wheel of the bicycle to cause
the wheels to revolve.
There are many ways of constructing a frame,
and different designs and patterns of fittings for
different parts; but the main idea of the bicycle does
not change — a fixed wheel to which motion is im-
parted, and a movable or guiding wheel, indepen-
dent of the power wheel, and revolving only because
the machine is pushed or pulled forward. This
second wheel gives stability, and supports the wheel
at a movable point.
We have, therefore, a wheel which supports a
frame and the weight it carries. The frame is sup-
ported on two wheels, one end of the frame taking
the weight, and that end supported on one wheel.
The second wheel merely supports one end of the
frame. If the frame were attached at one end di-
rectly and rigidly to the second wheel, the weight
carrying wheel would move in the same plane with
it. A child's two- wheeled cart will illustrate this.
While moving forward in a straight line, the child is
safe until one or both of the wheels begin to travel
in a rut, when the rigid handle or tongue of the cart
resists the guiding power, and the child is pulled or
thrown over. If the tongue or frame of the wagon
20 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
is allowed play, as it is called, say by being held
easily in the hand, the pole may be guided. The
supported end of the frame of the bicycle corres-
ponds to the pole or tongue of the cart.
Now, the wheel is made to steer in this way:
We have the rigid forks, and a wheel to support
them. The forks hold the wheel in the same plane
as themselves, but the top part of each fork, instead
of being fastened immovably to the frame, passes
up through a bearing-head prepared for it in the
frame. The wheel is supported, but it can now
maintain a separate plane, and as the post of the
forks changes its direction, it pulls the frame with
it as it advances; and so the controlling or steering
power is transferred.
The weight-bearing wheel is led and directed;
part of its power is transferred by thrust or push to
the front wheel, and as the steering wheel is pushed
over the surface, it revolves. As it revolves, part of
its power is diverted by the movable head, and as
the head is held and controlled by the rider, any de-
sired direction may be imparted to the entire
machine.
A bicycle may have either a diamond frame or a
drop frame. The drop frame is made to facilitate
mounting and to permit the adjustment of a
woman's dress. The diamond frame possesses great
strength, and can be lightened to a wonderful degree
without injury to the thrust and strain-bearing
quality of its construction.
A form of triangle is made use of to carry the
greatest weight and bear the greatest strain. This
WHEELS IN GENERAL. 21
triangle is supported on the rear wheel, and has part
of the frame attached to it to connect it with the
steering-wheel. The steering-wheel is provided
with handles by which it may be controlled. The
weight of the rider is carried over the power wheel,
and the propelling power, a lever movement, is im-
parted by the foot.
From this description an idea may be formed of
how and why a bicycle works; but the details of its
mechanism are of endless variety of form and pat-
tern, material and workmanship. Each small part,
its form, its use, its angles of surface, its every de-
tail indeed, is the product of the work of many
minds for many years. And though the bicycle was
looked for, and hoped for, and worked for, its
general acceptance came suddenly, and came only
when it had been built light enough and strong
enough and elastic enough to warrant confidence in
its universal usage.
CHAPTER IV,
For Beginners.
Mount and away ! How easy it seems. To the
novice it is not as easy as it looks, yet everyone, or
almost everyone, can learn to ride, though there are
different ways of going about it. Unless the begin-
ner is one of those fortunate beings who mount, and
as it were, wheel at sight, little need be said about
instruction at this stage of proceedings if a bicycle
school is within reach. A few suggestions may be
desirable, however, even with a competent in-
structor.
Nothing more quickly exhausts one's strength
than the first few minutes with a bicycle. This is
due to the fact that many unused muscles are called
upon to do unaccustomed work and to work together
in new combinations; and the effort required and
the accompanying nervous excitement produce a
sudden and apparently unaccountable fatigue. Nor-
mal conditions can be restored by resting long
enough to allow repair of the wasted tissues. It is
well to stop when a little tired, rather than to persist
and finish the lesson, even if extra lessons are neces-
sary to make up for lost time. No one can really
learn anything when tired, and it is unwise to at-
FOR BEGINNERS, ^3
tempt it. In this matter no one else can judge for
you.
What a horrible moment it is when first mounted
on a bicycle, a mere machine, a thing quite beyond
your control, and unable even to stand by itself.
But it is impossible to tell without trying whether
or not you can manage a bicycle. Make the experi-
ment, therefore, and find out. Any competent
teacher will guarantee success, and after the first
five minutes on the bicycle can tell how long it will
take you to learn. The time varies with the indi-
vidual; the period of instruction may last for five
minutes or for six months, without counting extra
lessons for fancy wheeling.
Don't try to get the better of your wheel. You
cannot teach it anything, and there is really much
for you to learn.
What to keep in mind when taking your lesson, —
Attend to the bicycle and to nothing else. Don't
attempt to talk, and look well ahead of the machine,
certainly not less than twenty feet. Remember
that the bicycle will go wherever the attention is
directed.
In sitting upon the wheel, the spinal column
should maintain the same vertical plane that the
rear wheel does, and should not bend laterally to
balance in the usual manner. A new balance must
be acquired, and other muscular combinations than
those that are familiarly called upon. To wheel by
rule is the better plan until the natural balance of
the bicyclist is developed. Sit erect and sit still.
The bicycle must be kept from falling by a wig-
24 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
gling movement of the front wheel, conveyed by
means of the handle-bar. When moving, the rapidly
revolving wheels maintain the vertical plane by ro-
tation, with but little assistance or correction from
the handle-bars.
It is a good plan, while the instructor assists you,
to pedal with one foot at a time, holding the other
foot free. This will enable you to determine the
amount of pressure it is necessary to exert to cause
the wheels to revolve.
When both feet are on the pedals, they oppose
each other. The weight should be lifted from the
ascending pedal, or else the descending foot must
push the other foot up until that foot is in position
to exert a downward pressure. This instruction ap-
plies to forward pedaling only; for back pedaling or
backing, the movement should be reversed. Prac-
tise pushing first with one foot and then with the
other, taking the weight off the opposite pedal in
each case. At each push of the pedal, a little pull
on the handle-bars, pulling with the hand on the
same side on which you are pushing with the foot,
will keep the wheel from falling. Look well ahead.
The bicycle covers the ground very rapidly, and the
eye does not at first receive impressions quickly
enough to enable you to know where to look and
what to look for.
As soon as your teacher will allow it, take the
wheel for a little walk. This may seem rather an
absurd proceeding, but it will assist you greatly in
learning the feel and tendencies of the machine.
Lead the bicycle about carefully, holding the
FOR BEGINNERS, 25
handles with both hands and avoiding the revolving
pedals. Learn to stand it up, to turn it quickly, and
to back it in a limited space.
The machine heretofore has been arranged for you.
Now you can begin to think how you would like to
have it adjusted. You will, perhaps, find fault with
the saddle. The saddle is a very important adjunct,
and much depends upon its proper adjustment. A
large, soft saddle is usually preferred by the begin-
ner, and perhaps this is a good kind to learn to
balance on; but it is a very poor kind to wheel on,
for many reasons.
At first, in practising pedaling, the height of the
saddle should permit the hollow of the foot to rest
firmly on the pedal when the pedal is lowest. The
ball of the foot only should press on the pedal. The
foot should be made to follow the pedal as early as
possible. Point the toe downward on the last half
of the down stroke, and keep pointing it until the
pedal is at its lowest, following the pedal with the
foot, and pointing downward until the pedal is half
way on the up stroke. This carries the crank past
the dead centre. To acquire a proper method, atten-
tion should be directed to each foot alternately.
To learn to balance, have the saddle raised as high
as possible, so that the ball of the foot just touches
the pedal at its lowest. Practise wheeling in this
way, with an instructor, or alone on a smooth sur-
face where you are sure to be undisturbed.
The hands naturally take a position where it is
easy to grasp the handles of the handle-bars. The
handle-bar conveys two principal movements to the
26 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
first wheel — a short wiggling movement and a long
or steering sweep. The handle-bars also assist in
maintaining the seat at first.
The beginner usually exerts too much pressure
on the pedals, and has to pull correspondingly hard
on the handles to correct the falling tendency of the
machine. This is very hard work, and stiff arms and
shoulders and blistered hands may be often thus ac-
counted for; they are the result of badly balanced
pedaling. To be able to sit comfortably at work,
and to feel that it is not so hard after all, is a great
advance.
Now, the question of that other foot. By this time
which **the other foot'* is will have become quite
evident; it is always the foot to which attention for
the moment is not directed, and which consequently
may meet unexpected disaster — a lost pedal, per-
haps, with its accompanying inconveniences.
Downward pressure with the foot is easily ac-
quired and needs little effort. To take the pressure
off the ascending pedal at the right moment is a
more difficult matter. Usually considerable practice
in cycling is necessary before the unused lifting
muscles are strengthened sufficiently by exercise to
permit them to do their work easily.
There is a third movement of the handle-bars — a
quick twist in the direction the machine is leaning
if about to fall; it is made suddenly, and brings the
wheel back to its original position. If the wheel
were stationary, and the front wheel were turned,
the bicycle would fall in an opposite direction from
the front wheel. If the wheel is about to fall, it can
FOR BEGINNERS. 27
be prevented from doing so by throwing the balance
the other way by means of the handle-bars. A
similar result is accomplished by wiggling the front
wheel, and when a bicycle is moving very slowly, a
continuous wiggle — changing the balance as the ma-
chine inclines from side to side — is necessary to
keep it upright.
The body should incline with the rear wheel and
maintain the same plane with it, becoming as much
as possible a part of the wheel, as though united by
a straight bar going from the base of the tire to the
top of the head.
The rear wheel and all the weight that it carries is
governed by the front wheel and controlled by
means of the handle-bars. The rear wheel support-
ing all the rider's weight, the power is applied to
that wheel. The front wheel serves only for balance
and steering.
It is not necessary to provide a complete outfit to
take the first lesson. If you possess a pair of knick-
erbockers, so much the better. Wear an old dress,
easy shoes and gloves, and a hat that will stay on un-
der any conditions. The clothing should be as loose
as possible about the waist. Wear flannels, and no
tight bands of any kind or anything elastic. As
respiration is increased by the exercise, the cloth-
ing should be loose enough to allow of a long deep
breath, drawn easily, taken by expanding the chest
at the lower ribs to fill the lungs. This precaution
being taken, giddiness and short-windedness can re-
sult only from over-exercise. Ten or fifteen
minutes' practise is enough at first; and a half
28 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
hour's lesson later, with several stops for rest, is the
best rule for man)^ people, particularly those unac-
customed to active exercise.
If you are an equestrian, you will meet with many
unexpected problems. The bicycle will do nothing
for you, and the lack of horse-sense must be supplied
by your own intelligence. It is well, when learning,
to remove all bicycle accessories. They are only in
the way, and add weight and distract the attention.
The propelling of the bicycle — that is the one idea
to keep in mind. Make the machine go; shove it
along. Never mind if you are not quite comfortable
or at ease at first. Sit on your saddle and stay there.
Do not try to balance the machine. Lean the way
the machine inclines, not away from it, as it will be
your first impulse to do. The bicycle is not to be
fought against; it is to be propelled and controlled;
and the art is not difficult to acquire.
Avoid starting a bicycle on a down grade when you
are learning. For on a slight, even an almost im-
perceptible incline, the cycler must back-pedal; but
the beginner wishes to propel the bicycle, and for
that purpose must use an altogether different muscu-
lar combination.
•
CHAPTER K
How to Make Progress.
You have learned to wheel a bicycle, — have had
some lessons, can take the machine and mount it,
wheel a little way, and fall off; or can wheel for some
time without a dismount, but feel utterly exhausted
after a short spin. You have accomplished what
you attempted, — you can wheel a bicycle; but you
feel dissatisfied. You have tried to ride with
friends, perhaps, and have had to give it up ; yet
you feel that you should be able to do what others
have done and are doing all the time. It is very
discouraging.
What you should have now is a suitable and com-
fortable wheeling outfit. You perhaps have a bicy-
cle of your own ; if not, a good wheel may be hired
reasonably. The matter of dress is now all-impor-
tant, and a costume suitable for cycling should be
selected ; it is impossible to do good work or to prac-
tise comfortably unless you are properly dressed.
Choose for a practice ride a pleasant day, with
little or no wind, and neither too hot nor too cold.
The atmospheric conditions are an important factor
in bicycling; indeed, beginners are often discour-
aged by external conditions which really have noth-
30 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
ing to do with their mastery of the machine. Take
the bicycle out on a smooth road, where you may
have two or three miles free from traffic, and as level
as possible. If the road is muddy or slippery, wait
for the proper conditions. Unless the surface is
smooth and dry, it is better to take the bicycle back
without attempting to mount it. If two or three
miles of good road are not accessible, a quarter-mile
stretch or even less will serve. Select a good path-
way, however short.
See that the wheel is adjusted to suit you ; the sad-
dle of a comfortable height, certainly not too high ;
the handle-bars convenient to grasp. Assure your-
self that all the nuts are secure, the saddle and
handle-bars firm. Spin the pedals to see that they
revolve easily. Make up your mind before mount-
ing how far you want to go; mount the machine,
wheel it for this distance, and dismount. Do not
try to look about while wheeling. Give your whole
attention to the bicycle and keep your eyes fixed in
the direction you are travelling. Avoid hollows and
cart-ruts, though these should not occur if the lo-
cality for practice is well chosen. If an unexpected
hollow or hump should be encountered, hold hard to
the handle-bars and press firmly on the pedals, ris-
ing at the same time a little from the saddle. The
pedals are most important parts, the controlling
power being centred in them. If there is a good
hand-brake on the bicycle, it is well to note its action
and to understand how to apply it; for in case of a
lost pedal, its application might give a little confi-
dence. By a **lost pedal" is meant, not that part of
HOW TO MAKE PROGRESS. 31
the machine is literally lost, but that the foothold is
missed on it, and so control of the wheel lost for the
moment.
If out of breath, wait until rested. Rest for a few
minutes in any case, and look about, and note the
surface wheeled over. Then plan another spin, of
perhaps a few hundred feet. Fix upon an objective
point, wheel to it, and dismount. Rest thoroughly,
and mount again. Be careful to avoid becoming
chilled while resting, stopping only long enough to
restore the natural breathing and to look over the
road.
Half an hour of this kind of work at first every
suitable day is enough. If you are strong and accus-
tomed to active exercise, the time may be prolonged
to an hour or an hour and a half; or you may prac-
tise twice daily, morning and afternoon, or after-
noon and evening. Cycling weather is an uncertain
quantity, and all possible advantages should be tak-
en of it. If tired after the first day's practice, do
not attempt to resume it until entirely rested, even
if it is necessary to wait for two or three days; for
unless the wheel is well understood and the wheeler
fairly practised, it is hard work. The practised cy-
clist controls the bicycle without conscious effort,
and may direct his attention to his surroundings;
but the novice must concentrate his attention on his
machine.
A bicycle should always be handled carefully; for
though it is made strong enough for the emergencies
of being thrown and pulled and twisted, none of these
things improve it. Keep the polish free from
32 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
scratches, and the more delicate parts free from
dents. Do not let the bicycle fall or throw it down
carelessly. Learn to balance it against a curb or
post or fence or any other convenient object, with-
out injury to the bicycle or to the supporting surface.
A bicycle will balance in this way: The front
wheel kept from moving at either the tire or the
centre of the frame; the pedal resting against some
firm object. \
Do not wheel near anything, but give yourself as
much room as possible. A practised cyclist can take
a bicycle wherever it is possible to walk, but it is
sometimes a feat to do this.
The proper position cannot be too soon acquired.
Sit erect and not too far from the handle-bars.
Let the hands grasp the handles in an easy, natural
position. The saddle should be quite over the
pedals to give a natural movement, forward, down,
back, and up. The bicycle is sensitive, and yields
to almost unconscious direction; but if the eye is
not trained to judge distances, steering will be diffi-
cult at first. It is necessary to look well ahead, to
decide quickly what you will do, and to do it. Pedal
fast, but do not hurry. Don't try to find out how
fast you can go. This is not a good time for such
an experiment; it will be easy later to test your
speed. Pedal fast enough to keep the machine run-
ning easily and smoothly and to feel it take care of
itself a little. It is easier to guide and control it
when it is in motion with the wheels rolling rapidly.
It is not a good plan to select a very light wheel
for practice. The tendencies and the peculiarities
HO W TO MAKE PROGRESS. ZZ
of the bicycle are more readily determined when
there is a little weight to resist. Be careful to wear
nothing tight, particularly shoes, gloves, waistband,
or hat; for they might prove a source of discomfort
or even danger.
Learn to steady the bicycle as soon as you can. It
I will wiggle and wobble from a number of causes.
^ The front wheel must be kept steady. Wobbling
results from losing the sense of direction for a mo-
ment. To overcome the difficulty, either stop and
dismount, or, if it is possible, increase your speed.
Before taking a bicycle out, have any oil that may
have settled on the outside of the bearings wiped
off, and add a little fresh oil to the oil-cups. The
chain or power gear should be lubricated, and any
superfluous lubricant carefully removed. The ease
with which the bicycle runs depends on proper clean-
ing and oiling; an illy cared for or badly Diled ma-
chine, moreover, is very unpleasant to handle.
A course of practice will inspire confidence, and
wobbling will occur less and less frequently. Then
the inequalities of surface will be noticed, and the
cyclist will wonder why it is harder to wheel in some
places and in certain directions. Parts of the road
are covered, the wheeler being almost unconscious
of exerting any force, and again in places the foot
seems to be pushed up. Ease and comfort in wheel-
ing are dependent to a large degree on the wind and
to a much larger degree on the grades and hills. A
very little grade, a very slight rise, quite unnctice-
able to the pedestrian, is disagreeably obvious to the
bicyclist. The difficulty presented may be over-
34 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
come by pushing: on the pedal at the right place as it
descends, and at the right time, time and place
being also adjusted to the weight and power of the
bicyclist. To push at just the right time on a grade
assures an easy ascent. Any difficulty in pedaling
may be traced to a wrong application of power.
Hill-climbing and grade work require thought
and practice. Do not be discouraged because a little
bit of a hill seems quite impossible. Overcoming
grades is no easy matter, and is usually learned slow-
ly; every time a grade is attempted, however, some
progress is made. Wheel as far as it is possible to
go comfortably; then dismount, and walk the rest
of the way. Never try to mount on an up grai?" ""
less you are expert, for this is a difficult and
fatiguing thing to do. When mounting, notic
grade, and if it is downward, do not have then
ing pedal at its full height ; and select a clear
to mount in. If an up grade must be wheeled
it is often advisable to mount in a downward
tion, wheel far enough for a start, and then tu
ascend without dismounting. Learn to pedal slow-
ly and steadily and to start and stop easily. These
things may be practised at convenient times, and
with sufficient practice will be mastered, but mean-
while need keep no one from attempting a moderate-
ly long run.
Uncertain attempts at mounting are very fatigu-
ing. Get some one to mount and start you when off
for the first long outings; the energy saved can be
better utilized in wheeling. Do niit be afraid to
wheel over small inequalities if their direction is at
HOW TO MAKE PROGRESS. 35
right angles to the direction of the bicycle; but
avoid all ruts and depressions parallel with the
wheel's direction. It is easy to slip into them, and
difiScult to get out of them without a spill.
Never eat a full meal before starting on a bicycle
trip; if possible, set the time for starting at least an
hour after eating. Ten, twenty,, and thirt)^ miles
are often covered after the first or second trial. It
is better to sit on your wheel and pedal slowly than
to dismount. Getting on and off, stopping and start-
ing, are much more fatiguing than wheeling; and it
is well to economize your strength at this stage.
Always see that the tool-kit is in place on the bicycle,
and never go far without a wrench and a screw
driver.
The tires also should receive close attention; they
should be properly inflated, and the hand-pump
carried on a convenient place on the machine. It is
never well to use a tire that is not properly inflated.
Avoid all broken glass, nails, etc., and do not rest
the wheel against a barbed wire fence.
The wheeler who desires to succeed cannot too
sopn begin to observe and take notes. Early learn
to use the wrench yourself, and study how to apply
that instrument properly. Study the different parts
of the bicycle, and note how they are put together;
and particularly observe each nut and screw, and de-
termine its purpose. Each nut must be at its proper
tension to hold securely. Stud)'' the valves of the
tires and learn their construction ; and be sure you
know how to apply the pump-coupling properly.
Learn the names and uses of the different parts of
36 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
the bicycle, and study their construction. This is
mechanical geography, if I may use such a term.
Learn to care for your health and how to prepare
your system to resist fatigue. Then you will find
that you have mastered the subject, and are pre-
pared to avail yourself of the many pleasures of the
sport.
The oftener discouraged, the oftener the opportu-
nity to hope again. The art of bicycling is a purely
mechanical attainment ; and though its complications
may at first seem hopeless, suflBcient practice will
result in final mastery.
CHAPTER in.
Helping and Teaching; IVhat to Learn.
Accuracy is the first principle of cycling; and the
would-be bicyclist should learn as early as* possible
that ease of movement and precision of movement
are inseparable; and that bruises and bumps and
wrenches, though they may have an educational
value, are not a necessary accompaniment of the
sport. The skilful instructor need never allow a
scratch or a bruise. Some people want to learn
everything at once; but only so much should be
done at each attempt as can be done accurately, if it
be only walking the machine about and standing it
up. This exercise is helpful, for walking a bicycle
about requires a series of accurate movements, and
acc.urate movement is necessary in learning mount-
ing and propelling.
The bicycle is a marvel of adjustment, and the bi-
cyclist is obliged to adopt movements that corres-
pond with the movements of the bicycle. The more
accurate this correspondence of movement, the great-
er the ease of propulsion.
The lines and angles of the levers of feet and legs
must be studied to so apply them as to secure the
best results. Avoid undue tension. Learn just how
38 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
much to lean the bicycle in mounting, just where to
place the foot, where to stand in relation to the han-
dle-bars, and where to place the weight on the ma-
chine. This understood, mounting is accomplished.
The bicycle may be mastered, and easily mastered,
by remembering all the things not to do and by-
doing all the things that should be done.
To assist another to do what you do not know how
to do yourself is not an easy task; yet there are
people who are willing to undertake it.
A bicycle is so nicely balanced that it is easy to
hold it up if it is taken hold of in the right way.
Grasp the back of the saddle firmly with one band,
take hold of one of the handles with the other, and
the machine is in your power. A person seated on
the saddle with a firm hold of the handles of the
handle-bar, becomes, as it were, a part of the ma-
chine, and when sitting quite still is governed by
the same laws of balance that control the bicycle.
Take hold of a bicycle with some one seated in the
saddle, and move it a few inches forward, then a
few inches backward, and it becomes at once per-
ceptible that but little force is necessary to overcome
the inertia of the combined weights of wheel and
rider. The wheel has a tendency to fall to either
side, but it is easy to balance the weighton the tires.
Then hold the wheel a little toward you, for it is
easier and less fatiguing than to hold it from you.
If the bicycle is allowed to incline from you, it will
pull you over; if it inclines toward you, you can
support its weight against the shoulder. If the rider
sits still and inclines with the machine, it is easily
-1
HELPING AND TEACHING, 39
righted; but if the rider's weight is thrown in a di-
rection opposite to the inclination of the bicycle, the
tendency to fall is increased, and the inclined bicycle
is pushed over.
Before assisting another person with a bicycle, it
is well to note all the tendencies of the machine.
This may be done by taking a bicycle and putting
it in all the different positions mentioned. The mo-
tions are the same whether or not there is any one
in the saddle, and it is well to learn to manage the
machine without exerting too much force. Stand on
the left-hand side of the bicycle, and hold the saddle
with the right hand. The steering may be done
with the left hand, and the bicycle kept upright by
wiggling the front wheel. It is better to do this than
to attempt to hold the front wheel still. Walk the
bicycle about by the handle-bars only, and you will
find that to keep the wheel straight it is necessary to
hold the bars stiff, and this is quite a difficult under-
taking. Allowed to move gently from side to side,
the wheel is more easily controlled.
When assisting a person for the first time, stand
beside the machine, see that the pedal farthest from
you is raised to its greatest height, and move the bi-
cycle forward until the pedal is commencing its
down stroke. Then let the wheeler step in beside
the bicycle, in front of you and on the same side of
the machine, and grasp both handles firmly. Stand
as close as possible to the bicycle, having it inclined
toward you at such an inclination that the weight of
the wheeler, stepping to the opposite pedal, will
right it. Then, while you hold the bicycle still, the
40 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
wheeler should step on the raised pedal, stand upon
the pedal with the knee stiff, and then settle slowly
on the saddle; the other foot must find the down
pedal. Do not let the machine move yet, but have
the beginner go over these movements again, prac-
tising them from both sides of the machine until a
little confidence is felt.
It is all important to get on the saddle quickly
and easily and without necessity for readjustment.
If a skirt is worn, it should be arranged before plac-
ing the weight on the pedal, and the knee should be
slightly bent when the pedal is lowest. The saddle
should be the right height; the handle-bars should
be a trifle high, that is, when the rider sits erect ;
the hands should rest easily and comfortably on the
hand-grips. Now the thing for the rider to do is to
ride and hold on to the handles. Don't let the
wheel get away from you. To prevent an accident,
should this happen, the beginner should know how
to come off the bicycle. An active person can step
to the ground before the wheel has time to fall. To
get off, step on the pedal that is down, and throw
the other foot over.
If the saddle is not right, dismount the wheeler in
this way: Have the wheeler's feet firmly placed on
both pedals, and see that the down pedal is on the
side on which you are standing. Pull the machine
a little to that side, and see that the foot is on the
down pedal. Then direct the wheeler to step on
this down pedal, throwing all the weight on it, and
to pass the raised foot over in front of the down foot
to the ground. The foot on the down pedal should
HELPING A ND TEA CHING 4 1
not be removed until the other foot, placed on the
ground, has taken the rider's weight.
Say that you are now going to move, and let the
wheeler mount as before. Show that a wiggling
movement must be kept up with the front wheel,
and say that you will help to do it. See that the
wheeler has both handles held firmly, and then grasp
the bars just in front of the handle. Keep firm hold
of the saddle, and control the balance and push by
that, letting the bars do their own work.
A learner always pushes too hard on the pedals.
Take the machine about, and trot it up and down,
holding it firmly and keeping it balanced. Should
it pull you over, the wheeler can step off without
difficulty.
It is much easier for two than for one to help a be-
ginner. A trio of novices can form a very fair
school. A bicycle is inclined either to pull or to
push, and if supported on both sides, the pulling
tendency is avoided and the pushing tendency read-
ily corrected. If ladies are helping one another, the
best way is for two to hold the bicycle, standing one
on each side of the machine. Both should hold the
saddle and both should hold the handle-bars just be-
yond the handles and above the hands of the wheel-
er. One should instruct, and the other help to hold
the machine.
Let a beginner first learn to mount, then to dis-
mount, practising these movements several times
before starting; then, having made sure that the
pedal on that side is two-thirds up, come to the left
hand side of the wheel, step on the pedal, and be
42 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
seated in the saddle; then put the weight on the
pedal that is down, and step off with the other foot.
Repeat several times, mouniirg from each side, dis-
mounting on the same side and on the opposite side,
at command, and repeating. Tilt the wheel as the
weight goes on the pedal. Dismount the pupil, and
walk the wheel about between you, wiggling the
front wheel. Then mount 3^our pupil, and proceed
as already explained. After the pupil begins to
propel the wheel, very little assistance from the in-
structor is necessary, and care should be taken not
to confuse the pupil as to the amount of work they
are doing. Call attention to the ease with which
the wheel is brought up when inclined to fall, and
explain about turning and steering and wiggling,
and what these motions are for. You cannot propel
a bicycle unless you know what you are doing; there
cannot be guess-work about it. The perfect confi-
dence that comes with familiarity and practice must
precede success.
Given three people with one bicycle, all can learn
to ride, helping each other in turn. Having learned
to mount and dismount, the next thing is to learn to
start the bicycle. The weight should be allowed to
start the bicycle as soon as the foot, pressing on the
pedal as it descends, brings the wheeler to the saddle.
The stop should be learned next. The wheeler
should be reminded to notice which is the down
pedal, and to step on it with all the weight just as it
begins to rise. This will stop the machine, and the
dismount is made in the usual way by throwing the
other foot over, and stepping with that on the ground.
HELPING AND TEACHING, 43
The foot that has stopped the machine should not
leave the pedal too soon, but remain on it long
enough to control the bicycle.
As soon as the wheeler can pedal ai little and has
the balance well enough to ride without assistance,
the next thing is to learn to ride over ordinary ob-
structions, and to remain on the wheel for a given
number of minutes without dismounting. All this
can be taught in an ordinary room or on a piazza;
and both teacher and pupil will find a smooth sur-
face, such as a board floor or a pavement, best
adapted for the work. Attention cannot too soon be
directed to taking the weight off the ascending ped-
al, and the exercise should not be prolonged for a
moment after this becomes a difficult thing to do.
At first the practice leaves the beginner much agi-
tated and breathless; but these conditions are over-
come after a few lessons, though experienced riders
sometimes experience a return of them when they
find mounting difficult and do not notice the grade
they are attempting. The sensitiveness of the wheel
sometimes puzzles the beginner, and the sense of ad-
justment is often difficult to acquire.
Nervous work and nervous effort are noticeable
in no other sport in the same marked degree. Some
seize and adopt its salient points at once and almost
unconsciously, but the majority are not so fortunate.
The first fifteen minutes on a bicycle are frequently
enough to cause thorough exhaustion. The best
remedy for this is to take the wheel and walk it about ;
the pupil should be left alone with it. If fifteen
minutes* work is too much, alternate five minutes'
work with rest at the next lesson.
44 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
The balance and distribution of strength for the
pull by the hands is quite important in directing and
controlling the machine. The feet are used to
propel and to balance. The teacher should note
carefully if the beginner errs by incorrect pedaling
or by too much pull on the handles, and correct the
wrong tendency.
Balance by pedaling comes next in order, and can-
not be practised too early ; and as by this time a fair
amount of speed will have been attained, the natural
balance begins to be acquired.
Balanced pedaling and swaying are very different,
and should not be confused. The bicycle may be pro-
pelled, balanced, and controlled entirely by the
pedals; and as this is the best and most important
mode of wheeling, it should early be understood and
attempted.
The adjustment of the machine should now be
taken up, and the wheeler should know how and
why the bicycle can be changed to suit individual
peculiarities. The wiggling tendency of the front
wheel lessens as the wheeler acquires confidence;
and its unsteadiness can be overcome and controlled
with the balance and by pedaling, with the swaying
of the body or the pressure of either foot.
There is much to avoid as well as much to do.
Incorrect position means difficult work, almost im-
possible propulsion and possible personal injury.
The knowledge that everything is firmly screwed up
about the bicycle, and particularly that the saddle is
secure, cannot be too soon acquired. Never attempt
to mount or even to try the bicycle unless the sad-
HELPING AND TEACHING, 45
die is properly secured and immovable. If anything
breaks, it is not necessarily your fault; if anything
is insecure, blame no one for not attending to some-
thing you should yourself have attended to. Always
examine the pedals to see that they turn easily; and
be sure about that saddle. It is a good deal of
trouble to screw the nut up tight for a few minutes,
or even for half a minute, but it should be done.
When adjusting the saddle, never be hurried when
tools are to be used, for it is necessary to apply them
carefully to insure accuracy ; and a nut really requires
serious attention, for often a good deal depends
upon it. If screwed hurriedly, the thread is in
danger of being injured, and on that thread the hold-
ing power of the nut depends.
When the beginner can balance and propel the bi-
cycle for a little way alone, the really tedious part of
learning often begins. At this point beginners
become discouraged, for there seems to be noth-
ing new to learn; yet the results attained are
unsatisfactory. What is needed is practice.
Practise on a smooth piece of road, with some one
running beside the bicycle to give confidence and
prevent falls. The proper position in mounting
should be studied. In mounting a drop-frame ma-
chine, never step over the frame and place the foot
on the ground; it is an awkward and ungainly
method. Take a proper position, then be sure every-
thing is right, and last of all, step on the pedal, and
you are moving.
A good way to practise, if you have no one to help
you, is to mount the bicycle in the gutter, and limp
4^ BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
along; or if in the country, a roadside fence may
give the needed assistance. Grasp a post firmly, and
holding by it, try to mount; and study the tenden-
cies and the balance of the bicycle without letting go
the post.
Make up your mind how to mount, start the pedal
properly, and keep trying until you can ride a little.
If a little, why not more? Keep on practising, avoid-
ing faults.
For instruction, the bicycle should be fitted Avith
an instructor's handle, and the pupil provided with
a belt having one handle or more. The instruction
handle and a hold on the handle-bar are sufficient
safeguard for most pupils, but the belt will often
give confidence to the timid and aid the instructor.
CHAPTER yil.
A Few Things to '^member.
Two important points for the bicyclist to study
are avoidance of road traffic and consideration of the
surf ace ridden over. The law of the road applies to
all traffic passing over the road ; the law of mechan-
ics to the surface of the road as it affects the bicycle
and the cycler. In cities, on much-used thorough-
fares, careful work, quick eyes, experience and cau-
tion are demanded to insure safety.
The law of the road, **Keep to the right, pass on
the left anything going in the same direction," is
explicit, and if always observed would render colli-
sions almost impossible. The avoidance of careless
and unobservant travellers is quite a study. Passing
to the right, you can see and be seen ; passing on the
left, a traveller moving in the same direction does
not become aware of your intention without being
notified. You give notice to prevent others from
changing their direction and to enable them thus to
avoid crowding.
To pass a vehicle on the road, when travelling in
the same direction, involves increase of speed if the
vehicle in front maintains its pace; should it go
slower or stop, and the roadway permits, a change
48 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
of pace is neither necessary nor desirable, unless you
wish to steady your machine. In nearing any vehi-
cle or person coming from the opposite direction,
keep your share of the road. Be always alert and
observant; do not fail to give ample room to the ap-
proaching vehicle; but on the other hand, do not
permit yourself to be crowded or inconvenienced,
and keep enough of the roadway on your right in
reserve in case a change of direction becomes neces-
sary.
The importance of having your machine at all
times perfectly under control cannot be over-esti-
mated. Put faith in your pedaling, and never ride
at greater speed than you can determine and check
at will. Dependence on any brake, however perfect
its action, is bad practice.
Vehicles approaching pass each other on the right.
In case of collision, the vehicle which has main-
tained the proper side of the roadway has the advan-
tage in case of legal controversy. In passing a ve-
hicle drawn by horses, the bicycle should keep to the
centre of the roadway when possible, leaving the
curb for the horse-drawn vehicle. The bicycle can
only draw avvaj^ from the curb, and is limited to one
direction. The centre of the roadway, therefore,
affords the best opportunity for a change of direction.
Sit well on your saddle, observe the adjustment of
the centre of gravity, but ride on the pedals, using
the weight as much as possible. Trust to the pedals
only for rough riding and for unexpected inequali-
ties of surface. The study of the mechanics of bal-
ance, resistance, and friction is most interesting in
A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER. 49
this connection, as their action affects cycler or wheel
or the combined mechanisms.
The law of the road is simple and very generally
understood, though there are reckless and ignorant
people who disregard it. The law defines where you
shall ride, how you shall pass, and sets a limit to in-
crease of speed beyond what is considered compati-
ble with the general safety. There is, besides, the
unwritten law of courtesy, more often observed than
disregarded ; and there is the law you make for your-
self.
The traffic of a crowded thoroughfare may be ana-
lyzed, and the conduct of a wheel explained and sim-
plified, though travel on such routes is difficult at
best and had better be avoided. Given a long,
straight road, with two streams of travel from oppo-
site directions. One of these streams will consist of
vehicles, quadrupeds, and pedestrians, few maintain-
ing an even rate of progress, fewer still the same
rate. The law requires that you pass on the left,
and you must await the opportunity to do so. When
a clear way opens, take immediate advantage of it,
and increase your speed. Should there not be room
enough to pass, signal, and the vehicle in advance is
bound to make way for you. Should there be a free
road to the right, you may take it, but only with the
consent of the traveller ahead, and then at your own
risk.
Never ride more than two abreast. Riding in sin-
gle file, with ample room for turning, is better on a
crowded street or when making time. For moderate
wheeling, the cyclists being disciplined and drilled,
so BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
«
the distance between bicycles may be shortened.
But control of the wheel should be absolute before
this is attempted. When travelling at even a mod-
erate rate of speed, a certain distance between wheels
should be observed. When in single file, turn on
the same line, but not at the same time as the leader.
Inexperienced wheelers are apt to turn at the
moment the wheel ahead turns. Should you be fol-
lowing close, keep on your own line, unless you see
good cause to change your direction. If the leader
wishes to stop, let him turn out : if you are wanted,
you will know soon enough. Gain all the dis-
tance you can between dismounts. A little drill
and the understanding of a few signals will prove
very useful.
For the public at large, the bicycle may be spe-
cialized to suit individual needs, and locomotion be-
comes simplified, distances are reduced, and the ob-
literated landscape of railroad travel takes form and
substance. Cycling means travel over well-con-
structed highways, with telephone and telegraph,
post-office and express office, usually easily acces-
sible. To enjoy the full freedom that wheeling
should give, little luggage should be carried, yet
that little must include all necessaries.
When a party of six or even twelve start to wheel
a given distance, what are the problems to be met?
All being fairly expert cyclists, in good practice, so-
ciability is incidental while making time. On the
road attention, strict attention, to business and to
the signals is necessary. Conversation is not pro-
hibited; it is entirely dependent upon the nature of
the surface you are travelling.
A FEIV THINGS TO REMEMBER. 51
How to keep together is a vexed question , and a
very nice adjustment of animate and inanimate
mechanism would be necessary to its satisfactory
settlement. The better way is, all knowing the road,
to wheel along independently, with an occasional
halt, not necessarily a dismount, assembling at in-
tervals of half or three-quarters of an hour. The
leader should keep back until the roller of the party
is hailed, and has reported, then increase speed
again until the next interval has elapsed. Another
plan is to wheel with only a given number of min-
utes headway, this arrangement keeping the roller-up
always within hailing distance.
^A good leader deserves implicit confidence. He
has responsibilities aside from wheeling, for the com-
fort and convenience of others must be intelligently
studied, and consideration for each individual cyclist
in the party makes constant demand on the qualities
of tact and decision; in other words, the leader must
possess good judgment and be as well a thorough bi-
cyclist.
The present rate of wheeling averages ten miles
an hour, and greater speed is undesirable, except
for special purposes. A point to keep in mind is
that every ^we minutes' halt is a mile lost. The
time lost in slowing and stopping should also be
carefully taken, as it is of value in reckoning pos-
sible mileage.
There are grades to hesitate about, and there are
grades to avoid. If a grade seems possible, try it,
but dismount the instant it becomes hard work. It
is better to dismount too soon than to persist too
52 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
long. Without regard to the inclination, there are
two principal kinds of grades — the increased grade
and the decreased grade. In mounting the increased
grade, more and more power is required at every
stroke to push the machine upward. In mounting
the decreased grade, this additional power is not
necessary, and the ascent is accomplished with little
fatigue. Increase of grade means application of more
power in ascending, and an increase of momentum
in descending. This is on the whole the most dan-
gerous kind of bicycle travel; for over-work on the
ascent, loss of pedals or dangerous coasting on the
descent, are to be expected, and danger should be
looked for, and observed in time to be avoided. ^
It is always well to walk an increasing grade, if
the hill be long and steep, both in ascending and
descending. The decreasing grade has many pleas-
ant features, and on a well-known road may be rid-
den up or down with ease and with little danger of
injury. It is interesting to watch the effect of indi-
vidual adjustment to hill-work, a group of bicyclists
being almost always scattered when mounting a
grade.
When and where to apply power and when to make
the x)ush tell best on his own machine, each cyclist
must determine by practice and experience. Some-
times a long and apparently easy down-grade is ren-
dered dangerous by its increase of pitch; and seem-
ingly easy roads are often difficult to travel on ac-
count of an increasing but almost imperceptible as-
cent. Unless power is applied to the stroke at the
right place, much inconvenience from fatigue will
A FKIV l^niNGS TO REMEMBER. 53
be felt, and will soon overcome the ambitious bi-
cyclist.
When short expeditions are to be undertaken — all
trips of more than an hour's duration being so
classed — remember that lack of preparation means
delay, and that ignorance entails discomfort. If the
start is to be an early one, go over the bicycle care-
fully, see that the lamp is in order, that matches are
convenient, tools and repair-kit in place, a small en-
velope of sewing materials with needle and thread
and another of red-cross supplies iii the pocket.
I have often been laughed at for taking out my
lamp for a short afternoon's ride with friends who
could ride well enough for their own satisfaction;
and as often have I been obliged to help with my
lantern's light belated wheels coming in close behind
me. A lantern is a convenience at dusk, or even
earlier, enabling others to see and avoid you; and
this helps more than the uncertain light annoys.
For luncheon on a short trip, it is quite safe to
depend on the road ; if you carry luncheon, a couple
of bread-and-butter sandwiches well wrapped in wa-
terproof paper, and thin slices of cheese in a sepa-
rate paper, or hard chocolate and water-biscuit, are
as good as anything; and such a luncheon may pre-
vent delay in swampy or foggy or damp country from
becoming dangerous.
Study the country you are to travel and the road-
surface, understand your map, know your route, its
general direction, etc. Always observe the road
you cover; keep a small note-book, and jot down
everything of interest. Use the pocket-compass,
54 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
even in your home locality, to fix general direction ;
for when detained at night, such knowledge may
prove useful. Fog and rain or a moonless night are
bewildering, rendering familiar roads weird and
strange; and, unlike the driver or equestrian in the
dark, a bicyclist must trust to himself alone. Wheel-
ing in the dark, however, has some advantages,
as you are apt to ride in a straight line, and not
turn out for bad places in the road ; on the other
hand, a certain amount of risk is necessarily taken.
There should be no close riding, and constant care
should be exercised for the avoidance of collision.
Cycling offers endless opportunities for the for-
mation of clubs, and cycling clubs there are of all
ages and sizes. A simple form of club for the ear-
lier phases of the sport may be organized in this
way: Buy two bicycles, and form as small a club as
can manage their purchase. Keep a register, and
pass the bicycles from member to member, for say
a week at a time, repairs in case of accident to be
paid for by the member using the wheel at the time
of the accident. The club may later be enlarged by
receiving any desired number of members and pur-
chasing additional wheels in proportion. But noth-
ing is so satisfactory as a chosen mount of your own,
adjusted to suit j^our individual needs and kept for
your own exclusive use. A bicycle exactly ad-
justed to your liking should be jealously devoted
to your individual use. A beautiful machine
should be kept free from finger-marks. Keep
a chamois and a clean piece of cheese-cloth at
A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER. 55
hand where it is kept, and use them. Nickel holds
its polish if not attacked by acid or grease. Enam*
el should be treated differently, with cold water,
sponge and chamois, after light dusting.
CHAPTER U'lIL
The Art of Wheeling a Bicycle.
There are three very important methods of con-
trolling the bicycle, namely, steering by the hands,
guiding by foot-pressure on the pedals, and guid-
ing by the swaying of the body; and these methods
may be used separately or in combination.
The wheels are kept in motion either by pedaling,
or simply by gravity in descending a grade. The
use of the hands on the handle-bar is two-fold for the
inexperienced — for steering and for correcting un-
due pressure on the pedals. The hand opposite the
pedal that receives too much pressure corrects the
tendency of the bicycle by an extra pull on the han-
dle-bars. This is very good exercise, but it is a use-
less expenditure of force, and cannot be prolonged
without great fatigue. It is the work of hill-climb-
ing done on the level. The feet are on the pedals,
and the natural tendency is to press equally at all
times on both pedals and pull at the same time on
both handles. One pedal must descend, and the
other pedal must ascend ; they are attached to the
same axle, which is turned by either pedal or both
pedals. As the pedals are always on opposite sides
of a circle, one is always coming up, and its upward
)
THE ART OF WHEELING A BICYCLE, 57
tendency is resisted by any pressure, however slight.
The lifting of the foot, therefore, from the ascend-
ing pedal means easy wheeling. This is one of the
hardest things to realize. If there is little or no
pressure to resist from the up-coming pedal, it is ne-
cessary to expend but little force to propel or push
the down pedal ; only enough, indeed, to overcome
the weight or inertia of the bicycle and the bicyclist
and of surface friction, provided there is no grade.
But of grades, there are many; and to this is due
the infinite variety of the sport of cycling, the mus-
cular development and increased respiration of the
cycler.
The handle-bars should at all times be ready to
receive a sudden grip or squeeze. Grip the handles
hard when you want to hold on, and only pull as
much as is absolutely necessary; for if the arms are
stiff and rigid from pulling on the bars, they will
not be sensitive enough to control the bicycle. The
handles of the bar are the ends of a pair of levers;
and the nearer the hand to the centre of the bar, the
less power is needed to oppose the other hand.
When there is a tendency to pull hard on the handles,
gradually slip the hands near the middle of the
bar, and the pull will ease up. The front wheel, to
run easily, should run steadily; and the less wiggle
there is, the better for steady travel.
The pedal is the projection on the crank adapted
to the use of the foot. There are many varieties of
pedals, of differing sorts, weights, patterns, and pur-
poses. The foot placed on the pedal pushes it down;
the push is communicated to the wheel to propel the
58 BICYCfJXG FOR LADIES,
bicycle forward. As the pedal leaves the dead cen-
tre, the power begins to take effect, and continues
until the dead centre below is reached. Now, it is
necessary to push at just the right time and place;
if too soon and too hard, the wheels of the bicycle
will go too fast, and must be retarded by pressing
down on the up-coming pedal. The natural weight
pressure of the foot is more than enough to propel
the bicycle over ordinary surfaces at a fair rate of
speed, without the application of great muscular
power.
The foot should be placed squarely on the pedal,
the ball of the foot onl)^ resting on it, and the toe
pointing downward. . The foot may be made to per-
form divers duties, and numberless new combina-
tions of pressure can be and are called for and ap-
plied.
To apply more power in the stroke, begin to push
when the pedal is all the way up, the toe pointing
down until at the lowest part of the stroke, ready to
follow the pedal around, pushing it backwards, and
helping to lift it. Here the toe-clip helps, and holds
the foot on the pedal, in the place where the ten-
dency to leave it is greatest. Balanced pedaling is
a little different, and weight-pressure on the pedal
is used as a factor to overcome the front wheel.
Use the weight ks much as possible to propel, and
reserve the push for hard grade-work. Keep the
knees well turned in; it squares the foot and pre-
vents the ankle from receiving hard knocks. , When
the knee is turned out, the ankle bones are turned in,
and so receive many a bruise that could have been
vN
THE ART OF WHEELING A BICYCLE. 59
avoided. To keep the ankles from interfering, turn
the knees in, and ride square leg.
Controlling a bicycle on a down-grade requires
pressure on the ascending pedal. Point the heel
down or hold the toe up, and an even pressure will
be maintained. Let the lift come with the heel well
squared and the leg as straight as possible, the weight
to be supplied at the right point on the up stroke to
control the machine. Always use the weight when
possible as a supplementary driving power.
The pedals differ in construction and in material,
being differently adapted for racing and for road
work. A pedal with a good broad resting surface
for the foot is very comfortable, though a **rat-trap"
pedal used with a stiff-soled shoe is lighter and pre-
ferable. Toe-clips are desirable for those who can
use them easily, but for a novice they are dangerous,
being liable to cause the mishaps they are intended
to prevent. Experienced bicyclers prefer any dis-
comfort to that of a lost pedal, and when wheeling
with only a light, even pressure, toe-clips are good
reminders; but their principal use is to apply more
power and help the foot to carry the pedal around
and back.
The swaying of the body controls the bicycle from
the saddle. In walking the bicycle about, it is soon
perceived that it may be directed by holding the
saddle only. The pressure comes from the saddle,
and the bicycle is swayed by the rider, by leg press-
ure against the saddle. There is little or no shoulder
movement, and the body, though flexible, does not
move perceptibly. When starting a machine, hold
6o BICYCLTXG FOR LADIES.
it well balanced by the handle-barss, and know how
much inclination to allow. Take hold, and mount
steadily and easily, and move off quietly, noting the
running of the bicycle. Gradually increase the
speed, leaning a little forward to lessen any sudden
strain and to help the push on the pedals. Then in-
crease the stroke to the desired speed, and the ma-
chine will take care of itself. Speed power may be
increased, and it is good practice to slow, and start
again at will.
Figure wheeling, with a good leader, is capital
practice to insure steadiness and increase the power
of control over the bicycle. It is not easy to stop
suddenly when going at a good rate of speed, and it
is well to know j^our limit of distance in such case;
nor is it easy to spring alertly from the saddle when
bringing up in a dangerous position, even when
frightened into doing it. Back pedal hard, grip with
the hands and press down, holding the bicycle still
as you reach the ground. The pedals will not get in
the way, and it is well to remember not to let go of
the machine if you do not want to get hurt. To
jump off and hold the bic)^cle still may at times pre-
vent collisions.
The cyclist, however sure of his skill, should not
throw his machine at any one, even inadvertently.
There is much unnecessarily fine riding done — dash-
ing between two passing vehicles, for instance, or
rushing through a gap instead of wheeling slowly
behind a wagon until an open space is reached; but
some prefer the stimulation and excitement of danger
to safety, and like to perform such hazardous feats.
THE ART OF WHEELING A BICYCLE, 6 1
Steering is a subject for serious consideration; a
sharp eye, quick determination, constant care, and a
steady hand are needed. A knowledge of steering is
essential for safe coasting; and as one of the
pleasures of cycling is to descend easily the hill you
have climbed, a fair degree of steadiness should be
attained. Brakes are important aids. Learn to
brake with the foot, but do not resort to this expedi-
ent unless compelled to.
Now to consider hill-work. The resistance of the
grade is always perceptible; it is not always recog-
nized. As the angle of ascent increases, the powers
of the bicyclist are taxed.
The spindle of the pedal describes a circle. The
foot part of the pedal revolves around the spindle,
and permits the foot to take any angle that is needed
for the best application of power, the plane always,
however, remaining parallel with the spindle. This
arrangement of the pedal allows of ankle-motion
within certain limits; and to give greater efficiency,
the foot and ankle may move in adjustment with the
weight and power to be applied. This is the much-
talked-of ankle-motion. The pressure may be applied
to the pedal by this ankle-motion at any part or at
all parts of the circle that the pedal describes.
As constructed, the pedal permits free ankle and
instep movement, prevents cramping of the foot, and
allows the foot the same freedom that it has in walk-
ing or running. Ease of work depends on proper
application of power. To be able to apply just the
right amount of push to carry the crank past the
dead centre, and to pull it past the lowest dead
62 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
centre, and to follow the pedal accurately, is the aina
of all good pedal work. The push down is almost
instinctive; but the lifting of the weight from the
ascending pedal can be acquired only by practice,
when the muscles have become sufficiently ac-
customed to the work to move without the effort of
mental concentration that they seem to require in
the beginning.
The power of the stroke may be given by applying
the weight after the dead centre is passed.
The weight should be entirely removed from the
ascending pedal, and the balance and sway used to
take the pull off the handle-bars by throwing the
weight from side to side for that purpose. The
weight and balance should be directed in this way:
If the push on the down pedal only is used, it must
be corrected by a pull on the handle; this pull in-
creases as the grade obstructs the wheel. Skilful
hill-work shows in the lessened pull oh the handles.
In travelling on the level, the ascending foot is
pushed up, and rested by being lifted. There is no
reason why the pushing muscles should be stronger
than the li-fting muscles of the leg except that they
are accustomed to do more work.
Always try to ride ^ hill, but never begin by look-
ing at the top to see how far off it is. Pay no more
attention to the surface than is absolutely required
by the nature of the surface. Concentrate all
thought on the pedals and how best to push or take
the pull off the handle-bars. Lean a little forward if
necessary, and do not try to increase the stroke. The
number of strokes is bound to lessen if the power is
THE ART OF WHEELING A BICYCLE. 63
not increased proportionately on the ascent. And
how can the power be effectively applied unless the
work is done intelligently by mental application, or
instinctively by the use of accustomed muscles?
Hills should be ridden easily, or not ridden at all.
It is easier to wheel up an ascent than to walk up,
if the wheeling is properly done. Always stop before
the hill proves too much for you. Never think any
incline too steep to attempt; this is the first move
on the road to successful hill-climbing.
The seat for hill-work should be made to support
the body. The bicyclist should not be obliged to
cling to the handles to keep from slipping o^ over
the saddle; there should be something else to push
against. To get all possible power out of the levers,
there should be a sufficiency of fulcrum for the lever
to work against; and the saddle should certainly be
made to do duty in hill-work.
If there is no support from the rear of the saddle,
the fulcrum must be located at the handle-bars,
which should have all possible strain removed from
them to lessen the pedal work. A saddle placed at
this angle is of little use as a fulcrum on an incline.
In all work, levers and fulcrums are kept in position
by the hands, unless the weight is supported from
the saddle. If this principle of the application of
power is considered, the usual difficulty of hill-climb-
ing is overcome. Why should it be harder to wheel
up hill than to walk up and push a bicycle?
In the first place, it is necessary to be able to stay
on the bicycle without holding yourself on; in the
next place, to know how to apply the power; and
64 BICYCLIXG FOR LADTES.
•
then to perform the work, keeping all essential
points well in mind. Wheel up hill with the mouth
shut, or get off; wheel slowly; concentrate power to
apply it most effectively.
Power is needed in overcoming both the crank
dead centres. The weight should be applied to force
the crank downward, and the weight lifted to let the
other crank rise. The body sways to ease the handle
pull, and the bicycle mounts steadily. The inertia,
of course, becomes more apparent as the weight is
resisted by gravity; so do not attempt to force or
strain, with the idea that hill-climbing is something-
that must be done. It should be done only when it
can be done easily.
, The rule for climbing universally recommended
reads, **Pay no attention to the hills. Ride them."
This is good as far as it goes, but it is of little assist-
ance in mounting an incline.
There are two kinds of grades independent of the
angle — the increase grade and the decrease grade,
in ascending, and in descending as well ; for descend-
ing is only the reverse of ascending. In approach-
ing an ascending grade, always note its character,
whether long or short, what the pitch is, and particu-
larly if the angle of ascent increases or decreases at
the top of the incline, and prepare for the work be-
fore you.
Each hill has its peculiarities, which must be
studied and conquered. The actual mounting to the
top is not all you have to do; you should mount in
proper trim, arriving at the summit fresh and fit.
It is most saddening to see some one else mount a
THE ART OF WHEELING A BICYCLE. 65
hill easily, leaving you, puffing and pushing, half
way up, and to know that, when you reach the top,
speechless and exhausted, that exasperating person
will be seated there, cool, contemplative, and com-
fortable.
Intelligent practice, however, should result in
scientific attainment. The saddle should be adjusted
in relation to the pedals for the carrying of the
cranks past the dead centre. The angle of the saddle
should be studied, and the adjustment permit of its
use as a fulcrum in hill-work, while admittiiig of
balance-work on a level and of comfort and ease in
coasting. It should support the weight when the
feet are on the forks, notmerely permit of balancing.
In studying this adjustment, weight, length of
limb, strength, and the work to be done should all be
taken into consideration. The rule that what is lost
in speed is gained in power should comfort the hill
climber when, half-way up a grade, the bicycle
gradually loses speed, and seems to be stopping, in
spite of all efforts to the contrary.
In mounting, the machine is started by the plac-
ing of the weight on the pedal, and in hiJl-climbing
the weight should be used to force the pedal down
and around. The bringing of the pedal into position
where the weight will take effect is the true secret
of success. Follow this by making the weight
carry as far as possible, prolonging its usefulness
by pushing the pedal back past the lowest dead
centre, and following and lifting it. But it is use-
less to prolong the work if the commencement of
the stroke is not executed in an effective manner.
66 BfCVCfJXG FOR LADIES,
The up-coming pedal must either be pulled up, or
have all weight removed to permit the power to be
fully effective on the down pedal. What is the point
where power applied will begin to tell? If the up-
per dead centre is left to be overcome by the down-
ward stroke of the foot on the pedal, the foot on the
ascending pedal is doing no work, only kept from
doing harm, held in a cramped position.
After carrying the crank past the lower dead
centre, the weight is removed and the angle of the
foot changed from pointing the toe down to holding
the toe up and dropping the heel. As the foot-rest
will follow the sole of the foot, it is a simple matter
to change the pressure from pushing and pulling tip
to pressing and shoving over. Before the crank has
arrived at the top of the circle, say at sixty degrees,
the heel should be lowered, and the attention di-
rected to pushing the cranks over and past the dead
centre. As the top of the circle is reached, the foot
levels, and prepares to point the toe to make an ef-
fective downward thrust. Rise from the saddle a
little at this point, to make the weight more effective,
and prepare to carry the pedal back as far as pos-
sible. This method leaves very little time for the
foot to change its angle. From the toe pointing
downward to the toe held up ready to push, the
change from pull to push is abrupt, and hill-work
depends on correct ankle-motion more than anything
else. The ankle-motion may be corrected by sway-
ing, the hands meanwhile being held lightly on the
handle-bars ready for emergencies, but not used for
the work of climbing.
THE ART OF WHEELING A BICYCLE. 67
The breathless condition induced by extra work
may be remedied; for the upper chest is forced to
expand, while, if the arms are held rigid, a plentiful
supply of air for the lungs is not insured. (See
Chapter on Exercises). Free combustion is needed
for the extra power exerted.
The bicycle and its load are lifted, and a given
weight requires a given power to lift it. That
power must be supplied by the stored force of the
human body, and must be utilized to the best advan-
tage if the work is to be prolonged. Hill-work is
not impossible of achievement; but it requires intel-
ligent work unless one applies mechanical laws in-
tuitively. Easy hill-work is delightful; it is work,
hard work, but work done without strain. Nothing,
on the other hand, can be more injurious than
forced hill-climbing; the strain on heart and lungs
is severe, particularly for one wearing a tight belt,
or any constrictive clothing about the waist.
Because a hill looks rough and the surface difficult,
it does not at all follow that it will be bad wheeling.
If the tires are not too full, inequalities of surface
are an assistance, helping to block the wheels, and
preventing them from slipping back, while the soft
tire takes up the stones and bumps, holding on by
them. Always look well at your hill on approaching
it; study its inclination, determine its grade, and
the nature of its surface, and quickly decide how
best to attack it.
. On mounting the top of a grade, never hurry or
increase speed ; wheel along slowly and easily, with
the mouth shut, until^rested and really ready to start
68 BICYCLIXG FOR LADIES.
up. If there is a good coast, don't hurry to it, but
keep working gently until the balance of the respira-
tory organs is fully restored. Then take the coast,
and all the benefits of hard work, and rest, and the
exhilarating effects of swift motion and free oxida-
tion are fully realized.
To work in balance or equilibrium is the aim of
hill-work, and there should not be too abrupt a
transition after severe exertion. Pedal along at a
pace to restore the breathing after hard work, then
change; never dismount when breathless, but wheel
along slowly. The strain is thus much less than by
forcing the body to accommodate itself to a change
of position just when a general easing is required, a
general slackening of all the muscles that have been
at work.
Rest always before dismounting long enough at
least to restore breathing; and rather than coast
after climbing, back-pedal gently and slowly if the
grade should descend from the top of the ascent.
Never let a hill get the better of you, if it is one
that you have a chance to attack a second time.
Set to work and study it. Find out the changes of
grade, and prepare for a change in the amount of
power at the proper place in the incline. See if the
grade is simple, prolonged, or compound. If the
surface is very smooth, it will be more difficult.
There is a bit of road that I remember well, a country
road, seemingly good enough, with a little grade
perhaps in some places; but, one after another, it
dismounted us all. A heavy Telford pavement was
THE ART OF U'TTEELTXG A BICYCLE. 69
laid, but there was still a mile and a half of that
road that winded the best of us every time. Though
it was up grade all the way, experience had taught
us that at places we must stop, and mount again and
go on. Our machines were heavy, but this fact did
not explain what puzzled us; for it ought not to be
easier to start a heavy wheel up a grade than to con-
tinue to wheel up steadily. Knowing this bit of road
so well, we were on the lookout to note its effect on
others; and there were always wheels lined up at
some part of the road, and a curious variety of ex-
pressions on the countenances of their riders — puz-
zled defeat on those unacquainted with the road, and
sad determination on those who knew it too well.
After 'a careful study of this grade, that was long
but not steep, and seemingly not difficult, we found
it made up of a series of differently inclined planes
and curves, the up-curves all against us; and, taken
from foot to top, there was a continued increase of
pitch, with certain changes that were all against
wheeling; and moreover a generally increasing pitch
for the whole distance, and four places of change of
grade, each change an increase of pitch and an in-
creased angle of ascent. The smooth surface con-
cealed these difficulties at first, making the deceptive
stretch appear easy and inviting. It was like the in-
side of a curved line set with scollops.
To overcome this most difficult kind of incline,
wheel along at a good pace, note the increase of
grade, and drop the heel at the beginning of the
down stroke, or rather while the pedal is half way
70 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
on the up stroke and the foot is prepared to resist
the change. Take into consideration the fact that
an increase of power is necessary ; look where to
apply it, adjust the balance of the body to the work,
and your work will be eflEective.
CHAPTER IX.
Position and Power.
The racing wheelman has adopted a position that
has received much censure — a position accepted as
the one enabling applied power to produce the great-
est speed. If this position is analyzed and compared
with the erect position, several interesting features
may be noted, and by comparing the two positions,
important information may be gathered.
The bicyclist seated upon the saddle, not against
it, has little power for work. The thrust is down-
ward ; there can be no forward push or backward
thrust, unless the hands grip the handle-bars and
pull against the push, if the push needed is greater
than can be resisted by the weight of the body.
The power of the stroke is all in the downward di-
rection; there can be but little power in the forward
thrust; the most important part of the stroke in hill-
climbing is that given by getting behind the pedal
and pushing it down. If the saddle be too far for-
ward, power is again lost in the push and thrust, and
the up-and-down motion must do the work, and
power is lost on the down thrust, though added in
the upward and backward push.
We may conclude that a proper position has much
72 B [CYCLING FOR LADIES.
to do with the work of bicycling; that there is more
than one correct position, different positions being
adapted to different work. The racing position on
the bicycle is the position for speed, and is the posi-
tion of the running athlete. It is not adapted to
moving at a moderate pace or to being maintained
for any length of time. It is the position in which
power may be most readily converted into speed;
where the leverage may be applied with the greatest
efficiency, and the greatest amount of work accom-
plished in the least possible time.
The drop position also takes the strain off the
upper leg muscles, and is desirable on that account,
apart from the fact that more power may be exerted
from that position. The leg does not straighten out,
and is always ready to give a powerful stroke and
maintain an increased or even speed. It is a posi-
tion of continuous movement; and if the weight and
all the muscles are not directed to propel, the weight
is improperly supported on alJ fours.
The position for speed where the weight is dis-
tributed between handle-bar, saddle, and pedals is
not suitable for road work, nor can it be maintained
for any long period without injurious results. It is
the position where power is best converted into speed.
For prolonged work a different position is de-
manded. Here speed is not a necessary factor, but
ease of movement and continuous movement are es-
sential. We are not anxious to convert power quick-
ly, but rather to reserve our powers, and use them
slowly.
For pleasure riding and ordinary exercise, the erect
POSITION AND POWER, 73
position is the best. The drop position is the racing
or running position; the erect position, the position
of ease.
Here the saddle question presents itself. The
saddle should support the weight while seated, or,
in the racing position, hold the weight; it should not
hamper movement, and should be comfortable for
coasting. In moving over the ground, the relative
position for the balance of the cyclist changes accord-
ing to the grades; and the seat should be adjusted
so as to be adaptable to the different positions re-
quired to enable the bicyclist to change the balance
for the work of the moment.
There is also the position adapted to quick work
and exercise. Change in adjustment of the applica-
tion of power varies with the amount of work done
by the bicyclist in covering a certain distance. The
resistance caused by change of speed and varied
wind resistance have also to be taken into the calcu-
lation. People of different lengths of leverage must
study the different adjustments of the machine to
produce the best results for the different kinds of
work required of the machine.
When a hill is to be surmounted, the climb should
be made without effort, that is, effort understood in
its technical sense. The position should be such as
to permit of work being done by the foot, and the
power should be applied at the right time and place.
Assistance by a pull on the handle-bars means les-
sened power on the stroke. Effort succeeds effort.
The work should be done by the foot, the pelvis
being the fulcrum. The saddle should be the real
74 BICYCLING FpR LADIES,
fulcrum. If the hands are used to do the work by
pulling, the pelvis becomes the only fulcrum, and
the bicycle saddle is not used at all for the applica-
tion of power. The weight should be made to do as
much of the work as possible, arid the added resist-
ance of lever pressure made auxiliary.
To obtain leverage for the hands, it is necessary
to use a fulcrum. Where is that fulcrum located ?
Each set of muscles pulls on its point of application
— the hand on the arm, the arm on the shoulder, the
shoulder on the thorax, the thorax on the pelvis. If
more power is needed, it must require effort.
In hill-climbing, effort is a physiological phenom-
enon associated with great expenditure of force. In
making an effort, exerting force, the air-passages of
the lungs are closed, the air in them making of
them an air-cushion, as it were, which acts as a ful-
crum for certain extra muscular combinations. This
accounts for the feeling of suffocation experienced in
severe hill-climbing, which should never be pro-
longed. The hill should be climbed with the hands
held easily, not gripping the handles; and gripping
and pulling on the handles, it should be remembered,
lessen the power for prolonged work. Squeezing
the handle-bars induces involuntary lung compres-
sion, and pulling on them adds to the strain. Lean
forward, if need be, to balance and maintain the
equilibrium, but do not maintain the centre of grav-
ity by pulling on the handles.
The fixed position of the arms, when sitting with
spinal column erect, certainly prevents a full, free
inflation of the lungs; the shoulders are held fixed.
POWER AND POSITION. 75
and between the saddle and the fixed shoulders there
is no up and down lung-play. In running, the fore-
arms and sljoulders permit free chest expansion. In
the racing 'position on a bicycle, the arms and
shoulders take the same relative position as in run-
ning, and a full, free lung expansion is obtained.
No rigidity is maintained between shoulders and
saddle in the racing drop-position.
For speeding and work of that kind, the position
that allows of the greatest flexibility as well as the
greatest leverage is the position to be chosen.
In travelling and in every-day wheeling, the posi-
tion should be one permitting the minimum expendi-
ture of power; the weight should be supported, yet
the position should be such as to permit the weight
to be used as a propelling power. The hands should
be held where they are supported and in the position
where they can most easily control the wheel under
any change of conditions. The saddle should be
placed where the foot can act most effectively at all
parts or at as many parts as possible of the circle
that the pedal describes. The height of the saddle
should be calculated to permit of extension of the
leg without supporting the weight on the saddle,
which causes compression of the larger veins and
arteries. The foot should at all times be fully on
the pedal; that is, the position should permit of
throwing all the weight on to the pedals, whatever
the position of the cranks at the moment. The
handle-bar should be adjusted; also length of arm
and relative position ; and the weight, height, and
curve of bar adapted to suit individual build.
76 BICYCLIXG FOR LADIF.S.
Length of crank, gear, height, position, and ad-
justments of saddle may be used as factors in adjust-
ment of position for ease of movement and preven-
tion of fatigue. Each individual has different
combinations of lever power, varying with the
lengths of the different parts of different limbs.
One may have a long thigh-bone with short lower
leg; another may have just the reverse combination
— short thigh-bone and long lower leg.
The crank is the lever of application of power; the
gear, the power in resistance. The gear determines,
in a sense, how much force is needed ; the length of
crank, combined with the levers of foot and leg, the
proper or most comfortable lever for overcoming
that resistance. Long-limbed people do well on
long cranks, short-limbed people on short cranks, —
the question of length of limb to be determined, not
hy actual measurement, but as to the proportions in
weight and length of limbs generally. Either too
long or too short a crank will produce numbness and
fatigue. The leg and foot on the crank as it works
form a crank lever movement. The crank of abicycle
should be of such length as to permit of the great-
est amount of force being conveyed along the lever
movement with the least resistance.
The sprocket-wheel is the weight to be moved by
the crank ; but the crank is only one of a series of
levers.
The knee, the ankle, and the pedal-pin must re-
volve in a circle or a part of a circle; and each indi-
vidual must find out the size of circle that is deter-
mined by the crank that will best move in adjust-
POWER AND POSITION, 77
ment with his individual lever combination. A
small circle on the pedal may mean cramped or
uncomfortable movement for a long-limbed cyclist;
or a large pedal circle too great distance to traverse
on the stroke for a short-limbed cyclist A stout
person working on a high gear, with a crank adapted
to his requirements, makes fewer strokes of the
pedal for distance traversed, but expends more
power at each stroke; therefore, when wishing to re-
duce weight, he should use a low gear, working
rapidly, and when wishing to travel easily, a higher
gear. A thin person should be careful to choose
such a length of crank and such a gear as will give
ease, so that undue fatigue may be avoided.
The position of the saddle should be most carefully
considered. It should be just far enough back to
permit of getting a forward pressure on the pedal
against the crank, as it were, at the top of the stroke,
and yet have something to work against in hill-
climbing. The tilt or inclination should be studied
as well as the build of the saddle; its height from
the pedal should allow tfie foot, when on the pedal,
at its most distant point from the saddle, to press
with the ball firmly on the pedal; and yet the saddle,
when the leg is extended, should not press so as to
compress the large blood vessels of the inside of the
leg as it rests against the saddle.
The handle-bar adjustment permits of individual
preference to a certain extent. The handles should
be within easy reach of the hands and below the line
of the elbow. If above the level, power is lost, and
the controlling sense of direction as well. The grip
7^ HICVCUXC FOR LADIES.
on the handles is instinctive, and as there is much
work for the hands to do, they should be able to grip
easily and quickly, and to move easily in all direc-
tions that the handles take, retaining their control-
ling power undiminished. A position with the hands
reaching down a little gives more power than a posi-
tion with the hands reaching up; and in this posi.
tion the leverage of the elbows and the power of the
shoulder and upper arm may be more effectively
exerted.
Speed work should be done only on a track or a
place set apart for that kind of work ; and the most
delicate adjustment and balance of weight and pres-
sure should be studied to produce the proper results.
Scorching, also, to be effective, should be done only
on a track, and the position for the work should be
planned most carefully. High speed over rough
surfaces on even well-made roads may prove disas-
trous if the position for the work is not a correct one.
Serious injury may result to the bicyclist working
incorrectly, with wheel out of adjustment.
Scorching and racing, however, are not properly
part of the subject of bicycling, but are a sport, and
should be separately considered.
The adjustment of position may be changed for
rest or for any particular purpose; but for practical
purposes it is well to adopt a fixed adjustment of
handle-bar and saddle and length of crank and gear,
and adhere to that, endeavoring to acquire the best
form on a machine adapted to suit your individual
requirements.
A bicycle should be used only by the person for
POWER AXD POSIT/OX. 79
whom it has been adjusted; for comfort on a bicycle
depends on such infinitely small adjustments. Never
lend a bicycle or a tool, and never make any change
in adjustment by guess. For ordinary use, the sad-
dle should be a little back of the pedals and not too
high, and the handles within easy reach. This will
allow of the balance and adjustment of weight and
balance to suit changing conditions of surface and
grade.
Sprinting is often tempting, and comparatively
harmless. Scorching is a form of bicycle intoxica-
tion, and the taste once acquired, the bicyclist craves
its excitement, caring little for the other pleasures
of the sport. The scorcher sees little, hears little,
and is conscious of little but the exhilaration of the
moment, and seems to be imbued with the idea of
consuming a certain amount of tissue in a given
time. Scorching is a form of bicycling hardly to be
commended, and reckless scorching is to be con-
demned at all times. Sprinting consumes a large
quantity of material in a limited time, and though it
is well at times to practise speeding, still the getting
up of speed involves considerable expenditure of
power and greatly increased momentum, and should
be indulged in only by those who understand the
limit of their powers and know what they hold in
reserve.
The wheel of to-day was evolved on the race-track
and for the conditions determined thereon; and the
amateur bicyclist owes much to the professional
wheelman. Improvements in construction, in de-
tail, and in adaptability have reached a certain limit.
8o BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
a limit of possibilities in certain directions. It
behooves us now to accept the machine and to adapt
ourselves to its requirements and to avail ourselves
of all that it offers.
The elasticity of the machine, the resiliancy of the
tire, rigidity of frame, position, vibration, and con-
cussion should be next considered.
On a bicycle fitted with a rigid saddle and with
hard tires, well blown up, the vibration that is con-
veyed through the entire machine is very perceptible,
even on a smooth wheeling surface. Over uneven
country, Belgian blocks, or other rough or corrugated
surfaces, the vibration produces concussion; and if
too erect and rigid a position is maintained, fatigue,
if nothing worse, is sure to result.
On a horse the position, while erect, is studied to
lessen the concussion; the weight is carried well
under to avoid it. The flexible curve of the spine is
there, though not perceptible, as the body is held
erect and in balance. The lower part of the body
becomes part of the saddle, the upper body flexible
from above the hips. The concussion comes as each
of the horse's feet is placed on the ground; while
concussion on the bicycle is produced by the change
caused by each inequality of surface. The pneumatic
tire lessens this to a degree, if not blown up too
hard; for inequalities sink into the jdelding surface
that would make a wheel with a hard tire bump.
The frame should be stiff to hold its direction,
and the saddle elastic enough to interrupt the vibra-
tion 'of the frame. The position on the saddle
should be studied to prevent tension or compression
POWER AND POSITION, 8 1
of any of the. joints, large or small; and the spine
should be easily erect, not stiff and rigid, but flexible.
The sense of balance and the adjustment required
to balance the bicycle tends to. keep the body flexible.
The danger to be avoided is concussion induced by
a rigid position — a position where, the bones being
held closely against each other by tense muscles,
shock is easily conveyed over the entire body.
Let the weight come well on the saddle, in such a
position that it can be shifted to the pedals at will;
and let the whole trunk be flexible, elastically flexi-
ble, equally in all directions. Then the bicycle may
be controlled almost unconsciously and from the
saddle, the hands being used only in an auxiliary
manner. The front wheel may be steered and con-
trolled from the saddle by means of the power over
the front wheel gained by the bicycle frame con-
struction.
Bicycling can be thoroughly enjoyed only when
the machinery ceases to require constant and concen-
trated attention. The rhythmical movements of a
bicyclist at ease, master of the conditions, comes only
with confidence and the persistent practice which
causes all the muscles to move easily together in un-
interrupted combinations, and the bicycle no longer
to require conscious attention.
CHAPTER W
Difficulties to Overcome.
There is the mounting difficulty and the steering
difficulty and the pedaling difficulty; and then there
is the general difficulty of doing all these things
together.
The first thing to do after learning the theory of
starting and stopping the machine is to make it go.
No matter what happens, keep it going, the faster
the better, until a taste is acquired for the pastime;
until the going-forward -forever idea seems to have
taken possession of you.
Then you want to try it again, but mounting
seems more difficult than ever. The machine will
not do anything it ought to do; it bucks and kicks
and stops and spills and slips, and will not stand still,
or even move on. You know how to mount, or think
you know ; but that knowledge does not seem to aid
materially in overcoming the tendencies of the
machine.
Now be sure that you do know what to do. The
first thing to know is that the weight placed on the
pedal starts the machine ; that the foot on the ground
will hold the machine, and keep it from starting;
that the machine when in motion will move without
DIFFICULTIES TO OVERCOME, 83
falling, and when at rest will not stand still unless
held up.
Then determine the amount of inclination the bi-
cycle requires to balance against your weight. The
weight placed on the pedal pulls the machine up to
a vertical plane; and the inclination to be calculated
for soon becomes an accepted quantity. In gripping
the handles and inclining the machine, the balance
that is felt will set you up on your wheel.
In mounting, the beginner is apt to stand too far
behind the mounting pedal. The position should be
beside it, and the mounting foot be placed over the
frame and on the pedal. Then, raising the weight
by means of the handles, step off the ground, letting
the pedal take the weight. Do not give any push
from the foot on the ground, but step off the ground
as you step on the pedal. Stepping on the pedal
sets the machine in motion, and rights it at the same
time. There is nothing now to do but to let the
pedal lower you to the saddle, and hold the other foot
up until the other pedal comes around and carries
the foot forward.
In mounting, the weight should be distributed
between the handles and the pedal until seated on
the saddle. To practise mounting, take the wheel,
and start on a very slight down grade. Never at-
tempt to practise mounting against a grade, no
matter how slight the inclination. A careful in
structor teaches mounting and dismounting thor-
oughly; but if a poor method has been acquired,
practise alone until you have gained confidence
and perhaps a few bruises. The only way to succeed
84 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
is to try and try again. Practise fifteen minutes at
a time, for it is fatiguing work; and do not become
discouraged. With sufficient practice, the difficulty
vanishes.
Never practise mounting when tired; for you
should be alert, and all your muscles responsive.
But persist; practise first mounting, and then dis-
mounting; and then rest by walking the machine
about to learn its balance.
Any one who rides or drives, or rows or sails,
knows something of the art of steering, — pulling or
pushing on one side or the other to change direction,
— and on mounting a bicycle has only to apply
knowledge already acquired. In steering a bicycle,
look directly over the centre of the handle-bars in
the direction you wish to take, and push or pull the
wheel until the centre of the bars coincides with
your objective point. This is really what is done ;
but the machine is so delicately sensitive that you
change its direction almost without knowing that
you are doing so. You go where you look; the
hands follow the eye ; and the art of steering a bi-
cycle resolves itself into knowing where you want to
go, and looking in that direction as 5^ou move. In
steering or mounting, always have an objective
point. Look up the road well ahead, and keep the
general direction.
A difficulty early experienced is uncertain steer-
ing and an uncertain sense of direction. When you
are out for practice, look well ahead towards the end
of your road over the handles. Novices run into
anything they look at, and must concentrate their at-
DIFFICULTIES TO OVERCOME, 85
tention, therefore, on the direction the bicycle ought
to take.
The weight inclined from side to side steers the
bicycle; pressure on either pedal steers it as well.
Correct and eflfective pedaling is a very difficult
attainment, to be acquired only with care and
practice. First make the bicycle go, then study how
you do it, and improve your method. Keep in mind
the points that are required for correct pedaling.
The early difficulty experienced is to keep the knees
and ankles in proper line. Turning the knees in and
the heels out will prevent the ankle-bones from strik-
ing, a difficulty that many experience.
The reason that mounting is so difficult for some is
because the foot is placed incorrectly on the pedal,
with the toe pointing out. The foot should be
parallel with the frame of the bicycle, and the knee
turned in; or else, when the weight is raised, the
ankle will strike, and the discomfort of the blow will
render the attempt to mount unsuccessful. The po-
sition seems awkward until correctly acquired; but
the awkwardness is due usually to lack of confidence
to come close to the machine and to taking a position
too far back of the mounting pedal.
The change of direction on mounting often proves
confusing, and the bicycle must be steadied, and
made to keep its direction at the same time.
Choose your direction, and assure yourself of
plenty of room to work in, away from trees or stones
or other objects that might prove a source of danger
in case of collision. Then mount and go. Keep
these two ideas well in mind. If you are uncom-
86 BICYC/JXC /'OA* LADIES.
fortable, stop and get off; don't try to adjust any-
thing while in motion. When you get on, go.
You cannot get on and keep still. Do not get on
unless you are ready to go; keep going when you
are on; and the mounting difficulty vanishes.
Steer steadily, and be qiiick without haste. A
hurried change of direction can only be made with-
out danger of a spill by an expert, and then only in
an emergency or for track- work. Bicycling requires
precision, and haste or hurry is out of place, while
quick and alert movement is required.
Take the bicycle out and do as much as you can
with it. Part of the fun is conquering difficulties,
and each difficulty overcome is an achievement.
Another difficulty experienced is striking the
saddle in mounting. This is usually due to spring-
ing from the ground to the saddle, or attempting to
do so, instead of stepping on the mounting pedal,
and supporting and holding the weight on the
handle-bars. Of course, if the weight is not sup-
ported on the machine, and the machine is started,
it cannot carry the weight forward. The saddle
will strike, and push you over. Mount by means of
the handle-bars; let them take you; shift the weight
up by them on to the pedal. Then lower the weight
to the saddle, step clear of the ground, and lean a
little over the bars if necessary to clear the saddle.
In mounting a bicycle, you mount up on the pedal,
and settle from that down to the saddle. If the pedal
strikes the other foot, it is because the foot is not
held up. Do not be in dread of that other foot; hold
it well up out of the way, using the mounting foot
to make the machine go.
DIFFICULTIES TO OVERCOME. 87
Too great inclination of the machine will spoil the
mount, and insufficient inclination will have the
same effect. The front wheel must be held in line
with the frame, and any wrong tendency corrected
by the handle-bars after the weight is raised on the
pedal, and the machine is upright.
Many good tires are ruined by ineffectual efforts
to mount. The machine is pulled against the tire,
and it is hard to understand why the tires are not
torn off or ripped to pieces. The light wheels are
not made to stand such usage; and it is a mistake to
subject a new wheel to it. The rubber is pulled
sideways (a proper way to pull a tire off), and the
novice is fortunate if the bicycle is not all pulled out
of true by being strained in directions not calculated
to resist wear and strain. A twenty-pound wheel
may be pulled out of true and so bent and untwisted
by ineffectual mounting efforts that it cannot be re-
stored without labor that amounts to practically re-
building the bicycle.
In turning a bicycle, always lean in the direction
the machine is inclined. Lean in the direction you
want to go, and very little correction will be needed
from the handle-bars. In turning, lean with the
wheel, and meet it with the handle-bars. Meeting
the machine is done continually, and is done by
swinging the front wheel to meet the inclination of
the bicycle on whichever side it has a tendency to
fall. Bringing up is done by pulling the wheel
around a little further quickly, and very quickly
back again. The frame is lifted by the front wheel.
This is explained in the principles of bicycle con-
88 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
struction. When an obstacle, as a car track or rut
in the road, is met, the obstacle must be crossed
squarely; or if obliged to make a different angle,
the angle should be met with the front wheel at the
instant of contact,. and a proper balance maintained
with the pedals.' ' '
To stop and stand still, pedal slowly imtil the
machine is almost ready to stop; then ** catch the
pedals half way," that is, stand en them, rising from
the saddle, having the pedals at equal heights, and
alternate the pressure. Hold the saddle firmly,
pressing against both sides to feel the balance and
to hold the balance by means of the saddle between
the pedals with the weight on the feet.
As you catch the pedals, give the front wheel a
sudden twist towards the back pedal, which will pre-
vent the bicycle from falling on that side; then con-
trol the balance by the weight on the other pedal, and
if necessary restore balance by a quick twist of the
front wheel. The best way to practise this is to stop
near a smooth wall, and use that to assist to steady
the balance.
Two people can stop and stand still in this way,
crossing hands as in skating, gripping the inner
handles of the bicycles, and stopping by holding the
pedals and controlling the front wheels by the
handles, using the outer hand. This makes a very
pretty and effective pause.
Numbness undoubtedly comes from interrupted
circulation, caused either by the clothing or the
method of working. Numbness of the hands and
fingers may be traced generally to tight clothing,
DIFFICULTIES TO OVERCOME. 89
and after all surface pressure is removed may safely
be attributed to a too tight gripping of the handles.
A large soft glove often aids to prevent numbness of
the fingers; if gloves are not worn, the hand is apt
to grasp too closely. Change of position, too, will
tend to counteract numbness. It is not well to work
too long at a time without a rest, if there is any ten-
dency of this kind. Walk up hill or on the level to
restore the circulation.
Numbness of the foot can be caused by surface
pressure, the shoes, or the saddle. Sitting too close
to the saddle while working, instead of carrying the
weight on the pedals, is apt to produce numbness of
the feet. Garters or belts will have the same effect,
and must be watched and regulated. A shoe adapted
for walking is not at all suitable for serious bicycle
exercise; the strains and pressure all come in the
wrong places, and confine and numb the feet. Free
ankle movement is imperative, and freedom for the
lower muscles of the calf of the leg; room for the
feet, and especially for the toes to spread and to as-
sist in pressing the pedal. The sole of the shoe
should be stiff, to prevent bruises from the pedals or
from irregularities on the ground.
Concussion and a consequent vibratory movement
of the bicycle are impossible to avoid, but they need
not affect the wheeler injuriously. Numbness is
sometimes due to a condition of the nerves of the
parts affected by the vibratory movement. To pre-
vent this condition of affairs, never wheel with the
weight on the hands, nor grip the handles of the
handle-bars too tight. Rest the hands lightly on the
90 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
handles, and be prepared to squeeze hard when
necessary. Study the best position and most con-
venient height for the hands when the machine is
best under control, and the jar and vibration are not
perceived. All joints of wrist, elbow, and shoulder
should transmit any motion, not locate it, by being
fixed or rigid at any point.
The tire of the wheel should not be hard, nor
should the saddle be fitted with springs; and it
should be so placed as to allow the rider to rise easily
on the pedals for rough wheeling. These rules being
observed, serious danger from this cause need not be
apprehended.
Wheeling over cobble-stone pavement or over good
Belgian blocks produces a marked vibration in the
bicycle. It would be a satisfactory test for adjust-
ment of position to be able to wheel over such a sur-
face with comfort, feeling the vibration of the bi-
cycle hardly at all.
The difficulty experienced in wheeling over rough
surface is caused by lack of confidence and by
general stiflEness of all the muscles, which causes the
full force of the vibration to be felt. In carrying
the weight on the pedals, the vibration is less in-
tensely felt. To grip the handles for rough surface
riding is almost involuntary, but it is accompanied
by acute discomfort from vibration. Pedal work
only will meet this difficulty.
There are different methods of mounting. The
pedal mount is usually the one first attempted on a
drop-frame bicycle; the mount over the wheel on a
diamond-frame.
DIFFICUL TIES TO O VERCOME.
91
The diamond -frame mount from the peg is made
in this way: Standing directly behind the machine,
the handles of the handle-bars are grasped firmly.
One foot is placed on the peg, and the wheel in-
clined away from that foot ; the foot on the ground
gives a shove, and the bicycle moves off, carrying
the weight on the peg; and the other foot swings
forward to catch the pedal, which was a little behind
the top of the circle on starting.
The drop-frame has several rather pretty pedal
mounts and vaults. In one, the bars are held, and
the machine is started. Watch the rhythm of the
pedal, and as it passes the top of the stroke, incline
the machine away from you, place the other foot on
the pedal, swing the foot next the machine over in
front, and catch the other pedal as it rises; then sit
easily on the saddle. The vault is made after start-
ing the machine, running or hurrying along, and
springing from the ground to the saddle, using the
handles to help. The pedals are found after being
seated on the saddle; and the machine moves with
the momentum given it in running before rising in
the vault.
There is a mount from the pedal on the same side
on which you are standing. Start the bicycle, and
keep along with it, watching the pedals. As the
pedal near you comes up and over the top of the
curve, step on it with the outside foot, inclining the
machine well away from you; at the same time the
weight will carry the pedal around with you, and as
it rises, the other pedal and the saddle can be found.
The same mount may be made without starting the
92 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
machine. Hold the machine inclined from you;
place the outside foot against the pedal until it is at
its furthest point away from you; hold the bicycle
firmly, and step on, swinging the foot oflE the
ground around to the other pedal, in front of the
saddle, not behind it. On the diamond-frame, the
same mount is made, only the foot is swung behind
the saddle, not in front of it, as is possible on the
drop-frame machine.
To stop the bicycle with another person on it,
grasp the handle-bars, and take hold of the shoulder
of the person propelling the bicycle, if necessary.
CHAPTER XL
Dress.
The matter of dress for bicycling is quite impor-
tant from the hygienic standpoint.
Clothing should be most carefully selected, with
the view to an equal distribution of weight and an
even thickness of material; it should have no con-
stricting, no tight bands anywhere, but should per-
mit of absolute freedom of movement, and be warm
enough to prevent chilling through too great radia-
tion of heat, yet porous enough to allow of free
evaporation.
All seasons of the year permit of cycling; the bi-
cyclist therefore has opportunity for much variety
in dress. The essentials are knickerbockers, shirt-
waist, stockings, shoes, gaiters, sweater, coat, no
skirt, or skirt with length decided by individual
preference, hat and gloves.
The knickerbockers should be very carefully cut ;
smooth and tight just over the top of the hips, and
fitting easily below ; not fulled or gathered ; full at
the knees, and boxed or finished with a band and
button and button-hole ; nothing elastic on any ac-
count. The stockings should be worn folded on the"
boxed part of the knickerbockers, below the knees,
and rolled down and held by the band of the knicker*
bockers, being fastened below. This arrangement
94 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
does away with garters, which compress surface cir-
culation, or pull if attached at the waist, causing
pressure where they pull, and are most objectionable
for many reasons. The knickerbockers should be
made of cloth or woollen material.
The shirt-waist should have wristbands or sleeves
finished to open a little way, and button ; the neck
finished with a band, with a detachable collar of the
same material. The body of the waist should be
shaped to the figure at the sides and back, gathered
slightly in the front, and finished at the waist-line
without a band, and may be of the same material as
the rest of the suit. The knickerbockers should
button to this waist, the places for the buttons being
reinforced. The stockings should preferably be of
wool, and of a seasonable weight.
The combination of knickerbockers, shirt-waist,
and stockings forms the essential part of a cycling
costume. A union under-garment may be worn and
the knickerbocker suit; over this a coat and a skirt
if desired, with a sweater for an extra wrap.
Bicycling is warm work, and the clothing should
always be rather light in weight. For touring it
must all be carried on the wheel, and yet be heavy
enough for comfort when not exercising, and not
too heavy for work, and should, moreover, allow of
adjustment for changes in temperature or for any
required change in distribution. To this end, all
the clothing should be of one color or of colors that
look well together. The knickerbockers, waist, and
skirt should match; then if the coat is removed, the
costume looks complete. An outfit might consist of
DRESS. 95
two suits complete, of different weights; sweaters of
different weights; wool stockings, heavy and light,
that will roll below the knee without being either
bulky or tight.
The knickerbockers are better fastened with a
button, the button being in just the right place, than
with a strap and buckle, which is liable to be pulled
too tight at times.
The shoes should be low, made of thin leather,
laced well down toward the toe, with light uppers,
and soles stiff yet flexible, and made with grooves
to take the pedals and prevent slipping. Blocks or
cleats on the soles to fit the pedals are sometimes
preferred, but are hardly so good for general work.
The gaiters may be made of almost any suitable
material, leather, canvas, or woollen, to match or con-
trast with the rest of the costume. They should
fit easily around the ankle and over the instep, and
should never, on any account, extend more than half
way to the knee. The muscles of the calf of the leg
must have room to work ; and gaiters badly cut, or
too tight or too long, would impede circulation and
restrict muscular action.
The sweater should come well up around the neck,
and pull down easily below the saddle; it is better
too long than not long enough to cover the large
muscular masses that have been at work, and may
be turned up if in the way. It should slip on easily,
and be soft and woolly, and not so cumbersome that
the coat cannot slip on over it and be buttoned up to
the throat.
The coat should be cut long-waisted, and easy
96 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
across the shoulders, single-breasted, and made to
button close to the throat; the collar to roll and re-
main open, but so cut that it may be easily turned
up to the ears. The sleeves should be finished with
two buttons and button-holes, so that they may be
turned up a little if desired.
There are occasions when a covert coat made of
close cloth may be useful, when out in very cold
weather or standing in the wind without shelter;
but it cannot be generally recommended.
Pockets in any part of the dress should be made
of woollen material. Cotton retains moisture, and
a cotton pocket or a pocket lined with cotton may
become damp and clammy and cold, acting almost
like a damp compress. The fewer pockets, the
better; but a number are often found convenient.
Everything if possible should be carried on the
wheel, not in the pockets. Metal condenses moisture
and interrupts evaporation.
As the skirt should always open at the side, and
fasten with several buttons, a convenient pocket
may be placed in the placket-hole ; a watch-pocket
in the skirt is a good thing, but the watch is better
carried on the wheel ; and a pocket should be set aside
for matches,where they may always be found quickly.
Collars and cuflEs of linen or of celluloid, of silk or
of the same material as the suit, may be used for
touring ; but soft neckwear should be worn if possible.
If a neck-muffler is worn, it should be of cash-
mere, not of silk.
Neatness is most important. Each article of
dress should be carefully adjusted and fastened.
DRESS. 97
Never use pins or put things carelessly together,
hoping they will stay, but be sure that every article
of dress fits and is securely fastened, and it will
never need a thought after it is in place.
In warm weather gloves with one button are most
comfortable ; for cooler weather, four buttons, fast-
ened about the wrists, keep the hands warm.
The adjustment of the covering of wrists and
ankles makes the greatest difference in comfort in
wheeling. In cold weather, hands and feet should
be kept warm; in hot weather, it is comfortable to
work with the cuffs turned back and wearing low
shoes without gaiters. Indeed, in hot weather it is
important not to encase the ankles in heavy boots or
leggings, as these would ensure overheating.
The outfit may be completed with a number
of hats — a light straw for summer, a soft felt for
touring, and a small and becoming hat for the park.
The hat should be chosen to stay on easily, and not
pinned, but fastened under the hair with elastic, and
the hair dressed to stand any amount of blowing
about.
The skirt should not reach more than half way
below the knee, and the hem and all seams should
be finished on the outside; then there will be noth-
ing to catch or pull. The width around the bottom
may be a matter of choice, but the skirt need not fall
behind the pedal when furthest back, and should be
cut full enough in the front to permit the knees to
work easily. The top of the skirt should take the
place of a waistband, following the curves of the
figure, made to fiare at the top of the waist, and
98 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
fitted snugly over the hips and hanging from them.
It may be worn with or without a belt.
The coat should be long enough to touch the sad-
dle or hang an inch or two below it, to protect all
the vital organs and as much of the working masses
of muscle as possible.
The sweater may be worn for coolness or warmth.
As an outside garment, it allows the air to pass
through its mesh easily ; worn under another gar-
ment, it is very warm, retaining the heat.
The color of a bicycle suit may be chosen for the
kind of work to be done; its texture may be decided
suitable if, a piece being held over the mouth, it is
possible to inhale and exhale through it easily. The
cloth should be firm enough to stand wear and roug-h
usage ; smooth enough to shed dust easily ; and of a
quality that will stand being wet without shrinking-,
and will turn the rain if caught in a shower. It
should be firm, elastic, soft ; have what is known as
substance; be very light in weight and yet not cling--
ing; and possessing all these qualities, the ideal
cloth for bicycling should not be so expensive that
it cannot be renewed easily.
Simplicity in detail for any garment made to work
in is always commendable, and a bicycle dress must
be simple to be suitable.
A corset, if one is worn, should not extend below
the waist-line, and should have elastic side-lacing.
To choose what to wear when the weather is
changeable is rather difficult; and the bicyclist start-
ing early in the morning for an all-day outing must
expect changes of temperature during the day.
DRESS. 99
Starting, the coat ma}^ be folded on the handles, and
the sweater worn; later, as the sun grows warmer,
the sweater may be removed; at the noonday halt,
the coat may be donned while lunching, as it usually
seems chilly coming under cover; later in the after-
noon the sweater is again of use ; and before the
evening is advanced, the coat worn over the sweater
often proves acceptable.
For touring, only an extra change of underwear,
with a change of neckwear, is needed to carry on the
wheel.
To look well at all times when bicycling, it is
necessary to remember the possible conditions that
may be encountered, and to wear no* garment that
may prove incongruous.
When touring, of course, fresh toilettes may be
indulged in at the expense of extra luggage. The
chief pleasure of bicycling is independence and the
joy of being free ; yet a long trip without access to
the conveniences and even the luxuries of civiliza-
tion, should not be attempted. A trunk may be sent
home as soon as it has been proved unnecessary, or
sent ahead and met at intervals; but its non-arrival
should never be allowed to disconcert the traveller.
It is an accepted fact that bicycling cannot be
properly enjoyed unless the clothing is suitable. Of
course, one can take a drop-frame bicycle, mount,
and wheel slowly for a short distance, barring incon-
veniences, in ordinary dress; so can one swim a
little if unexpectedly placed in the water. Bicycling
requires the same freedom of movement that swim-
ming does, and the dress must not hamper or hinder.
CHAPTER XIL
Watcb and Cyclometer.
Suitably attired, with a bicycle o£ the latest
model and most perfect construction, it matters little
whether the residence be in town or country, for the
largest city is soon left behind. The country, when
the highway ceases to be passable, is easily travers-
able on the foot-trodden pathway beside it. Wher-
ever the foot has trodden, the wheel may follow, if
the path be well defined ; and as the wheel can be
carried easily, there is no limit but the limit of en-
durance in crossing country that cannot be wheeled
over. But in order to cover distance without dis-
mounting and within a time limit, where the speed
attained is an element to be considered, good roads
should be chosen.
The bicycle multiplies our power of advancing by
five. One who can walk three miles in an hour can
wheel fifteen miles on a bicycle, given all the condi-
tions necessary to attain that speed for the period of
an hour. The wonderful speed of the running and
Sprinting athlete is again multiplied by five, for a
short time, in the contests where wheeling records
are made.
While increasing the distance travelled the bicycle
IV A TCH A ND C YCL OME TER, I O I
has greatly decreased the time limit. A person
travelling afoot at the rate of three miles an hour
(the average walking gait) covers a mile in twenty
minutes, and at the end of an hour is not more than
three miles from the starting point. On a bicycle a
mile is covered usually in four minutes or less. The
average distance, owing to the varied resistance met,
is not usually so great; and more power may be ex-
pended in the hour than is required to walk three
miles in the same length of time. Six miles may be
the record for an hour on a wheel, and yet the
amount of work done be very great. Until the po-
sition is adjusted to suit individual requirements,
the output of power to accomplish a certain distance,
even though it be a short one, is necessarily great.
Considerable study is necessary to work out the per-
fect individual adjustment of the bicycle, weight of
clothing, and amount of practice requisite to easy,
rhythmical movement; but that once attained, the
world lies before you.
Bicycling trains and quickens the perceptions; it
cultivates and develops courage, judgment, and dis-
crimination as well as prompt decision and quick
and accurate sight. The hand follows the eye
without effort; and the machine responds to each
impression received without conscious expenditure
of power.
To cyclists is due the keen public interest recent-
ly aroused in good roadways and in legislation to
effect their construction, and the consequent im-
provement in public highways. For years the ama-
teur cyclists of the country labored to this end in
I02 BICYCLIXG FOR LADIES,
the interest of the sport, the League of American
Wheelmen intelligently preparing the minds of the
public on the subject.
To be accomplished as a bicyclist means something
more than knowing how to wheel a bicycle and to
be able to get about on it. It is necessary besides
to keep informed of the laws and ordinances relating
to bicycles and to vehicles in general; to possess a
complete and accurate knowledge of the wheel as a
machine; to be able to do for it all that can be done
one's self or to direct another who has not this
knowledge; to know the country travelled, know
distance and direction; the use of map and compass,
and how to travel without them, finding the direc-
tion by sun or stars, or even, if need be, without
either; to understand the effect of time and season
on the face of nature and to cultivate the senses of
the woods.
If, while touring with a party, you find that you
have missed the way in a strange country and that
something about the bicycle has given out, calm
decision is requisite. Estimate your resources, and
keep quiet. Do not try to find your party ; let them
find you. Study your wheel-tracks; if off the line
of travel, follow them carefully to where they join
the tracks of your companions. Then wait until
some one comes for you. Rest or be busy about your
wheel. Do what you can easily, not to be tired and
worn out when your companions find you. It is sel-
dom wise to try and walk after the party ; the only
object in moving would be to keep warm, for a chill
must be avoided.
WA TCH AND C YCL OME TER. 1 03
There is a wonderful difference in the distances
covered under different conditions. Winds, adverse
or favorable, affect the bicyclist more than anything
else. An unfavorable wind is one directly ahead or
that can be felt on either cheek while advancing. A
favorable wind is one that blows on the back, or
cannot be felt on either cheek while looking ahead.
A wind blowing directly at right angles with the
direction of the wheel is a favorable wind ; you un-
consciously balance against it, and the bicycle glides
forward under pressure as a boat does with the sail
trimmed in.
When starting out, note the weather conditions;
what the prevailing winds are and what the changes
are likely to be during the time you expect to be on
your bicycle. If the wind is west or northwest,- do
not take that direction for the run out, unless the
trip is to be a short one. Always try to have the
wind with you, both going and returning. Learn
the peculiarities of the weather and study the govern-
ment weather reports; they are of quite as much
assistance to the bicyclist as to the mariner who
knows how to use them ; for winds frequently change
their direction, and the indications for such changes
should be sought and studied.
If a short trip is planned, as the wind is not likely
to change during the run, start out against the wind ;
that is, plan to do the hardest work first, and let the
wind help on the return. Avoid hard work when-
ever possible. Hill-climbing against the wind is the
hardest kind of work ; with the wind to assist, even
quite steep hills may often be coasted part of the
I04 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
way up, and all easy grades taken with the feet ofiE
the pedals. Coasting should be indulged in with
discretion, or the bicycle may run away with you.
Check speed at the first indication that the wheel is
escaping control by applying the brake and catching
the pedal, back pedaling at the same time. On a
public road, the bicy:le should never be beyond
control.
To thoroughly enjoy an outing, road, direction,
and atmospheric conditions should be studied. If
you are out for several hours' spin in chilly weather,
there is little pleasure to be had in exploring; but
in weather when the temperature permits of stops
without danger to health, frequent dismounts and
short-distance trips across country are enjoyable.
One of the pleasures of bicyclists is the good fellow-
ship existing between them, which is rarely dis-
turbed. On the bicycle conversation is interrupted
by long pauses, by intervals of silence, when each
rider is alone, with opportunity for reflection and
mental expansion.
On long trips note first the general direction of the
road, the wind, and the sun; try to have the wind
with you and the sun behind you for the better part
of the day. Be able to change your plans quickly
to meet changed conditions, and have a reserve of
grit to fall back on if things do not go quite to your
liking. Dressed for bicycling, it matters little
whether it rains or shines ; but wind, sand, and stones
make impossible conditions for the bicyclist. When
wind has reached a certain velocity, wheeling be-
comes unsafe. Mud causes the wheels to slip and
WA TCH AND CYCLOMETER, 105
prevents them from turning; sand does the same.
A surface offering little or no resistance is impossible.
Stones are dangerously liable to cause spills, while
ruts and bumps twist the bicycle and are apt to throw
the rider.
In the autumn months, when the sun sets early, a
lantern should be provided even when it seems an
absurdly unnecessary encumbrance; for a town or
village where the ordinances are strict may lie on
the route, and the unlucky bicyclist without a light
tnust go afoot.
Of course, speeding cannot be attempted with
the bicycle encumbered; but with all the extras,
a good average speed may be maintained. The
bicyclist wishing for freedom from all encum-
brance is apt to forget unpleasant possibilities.
A punctured tire thirty miles from anything is
such a possibility; so, though the tool-kit weighs
something, it can never prudently be dispensed
with.
Have the bicycle all ready, and start free from care
and With a quiet mind, after a last careful and reas-
suring inspection of the machine. Starting from a
town with a perfectly running machine, the attention
is first directed to getting into the country easily,
either by train or by wheeling. In wheeling, streets
free from traffic and with the best possible surfaces
should be chosen.
Country wheeling is often good when city work is
impossible. The dangers of city wheeling are traffic,
car tracks, and mud. City mud is usually of a
greasy nature, very difficult to wheel over. Even
Io6 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
pedaling is very necessary, and uneven pressure on
the pedals means a side spill.
In wheeling over mud, never attempt to control
the machine by the front wheel; it must be con-
trolled by the pedals. If too much pressure is used,
there is nothing left but to step off. Do not try to
recover by means of the front wheel; the attempt
will be useless, and a fall can be avoided only by
stepping off. Keep the front wheel steady, and rely
on the weight-carrying wheel to take you clear of
the mud. Keep a sharp lookout, and travel slowly.
Any one can make a bicycle go.
Get out of town, and then be ready to pedal up to
time on the first clear stretch of good road. Make
time, but never hurry. Never work hard over hill-
work or try to go fast against the wind. When using
side-paths, always recollect they may be protected
by local ordinances. Keep posted on the law of the
road, taking to the highway on approaching towns
and villages. If the work is hard, travel slowly, and
look ahead. Two good rules are — To travel fast,
look well ahead ; and watch the ground when there is
a hard bit of road to pass over.
A good stiff pull against the wind can be accom-
plished easily, really easily, if you take your time,
giving full attention to pedaling, and keeping the
eyes a short distance ahead of the wheel. It is much
easier to rest on the bicycle by slowing than to dis-
mount. In cold weather, never stop without
seeking shelter, at least the lee of bank or wall;
and keep away from a fire, as it renders one
liable to take cold. Nothing is so dangerous in
WA TCH AND CYCLOMETER. 107
frosty weather as a pause of even a few minutes
dismounted.
In warm weather, it is permissible to drink water
when wheeling; but it should be remembered that
the bicyclist passes through all sorts of country, and
the water may sometimes be anything but drinkable
from a sanitary point of view, even causing typhoid
and other fevers. Water that has been boiled is un-
palatable, but it is safe; boiled and cooled, it may be
rendered more palatable by shaking it or pouring it
from one pitcher to another to mix air with it. Ice
in water is another source of danger. The water,
after being boiled or filtered, should be placed in
bottles with absorbent cotton for stoppers, and cooled
by being placed on ice. Muddy water may be
cleansed with a piece of alum. If a lump of alum is
stirred about for a second or two in a pail or pitcher
of muddy water, and then the water allowed to settle,
it will be found fit to boil for drinking. Bottled
waters are safest when the country is unknown or
when there is doubt as to the purity of the local
supply; but failing these, the precautions mentioned
will ensure safety.
Never prolong bicycle exercise without eating,
and never work after a hearty meal; but the con-
sumption of a couple of sandwiches at noon cannot
be regarded as a serious meal; and it is often better
to push on after a short halt, moving slowly, than to
sit around on rocks or stumps to wait for a proper
digestive period to elapse. It is well to have a small
reserve supply of food, such as chocolate or beef
tablets, to tide one over a prolonged period between
lo8 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
meals. Milk and bread and cheese are good to take
as an extra meal. Never work hungry if it can be
avoided ; the bicycle will lag, and the cyclist wonder
at being weary. Keep up the food supply by all
means, for fatigue sets in quickly with the desire for
food, and the system quickly becomes enfeebled.
The cyclometer registers each revolution of the
wheel, and by an ingenious mechanism the dial gives
the record in miles. There is a great temptation to
roll up miles, that the cyclometer may make a good
showing; indeed, this striving after mileage often
becomes a ruling passion, interfering with the real
pleasures of the sport.
The pedestrian, accustomed to noting distances,
can usually judge the rate or pace travelled, and de-
cide very accurately upon the distance traversed,
with only the time as a guide; for the pace, so many
miles an hour, multiplied by the number of hours,
gives the distance.
On the bicycle the pace is very easily estimated in
a similar manner. Count the strokes per minute as
each knee rises, divide that by two, and you have the
number of revolutions of the crank. The gear gives
the diameter of the wheel larger than the one on the
bicycle ; sixty-four gear, for instance, means that the
crank revolution covers a distance equal to a wheel
with a diameter of sixty-four inches. The circum-
ference ofva wheel is three times its diameter; and
64 multiplied by 3 equals 192 inches measured on the
ground for one revolution of the crank. Multiply
the distance measured on the ground by the crank
revolution by the number of strokes made per
WATCFI AND CYCLOMETER, 109
minute, divide by twelve to give the number of feet
the crank has covered in one revolution, and you
.have the distance in feet travelled per minute. To
find the rate of miles per hour, multiply that result
by 60 to find the number of feet travelled per hour,
and divide the result by 5280, the number of feet in
a mile. The watch should have a second hand for
bicycle work. The cyclometer taken for five minutes,
then multiplied by twelve, gives the rate of mileage
per hour, a very convenient way of ascertaining the
rate of speed per hour.
It is well to know the rhythm of stroke of a certain
rate per hour, for it is often of assistance in determin-
ing distance, and will frequently prevent a hurry
when train connections are to be made, by assuring
you that you are easily travelling a pace that will
take you to your destination on time.
The alertness and quickness of perception that bi-
cycling cultivates seem marvellous. A road, pre-
viously accepted as ordinarily good, becomes full of
pitfalls that the wary learn to avoid. Slippery or
uneven surfaces, tacks and broken glass, are to be
noted and avoided, inequalities allowed for, and
preparation made to overcome the tendency of the
machine on unexpected hard bits of road.
One of the dangers of sidepath wheeling often en-
countered is a slippery spot or a place where the sur-
face may give way, such as the edge of a bank along
which the path runs, with a fence on the other side.
Here, if the bicycle slips, the bicyclist is pretty sure
to be thrown against the fence. In sidepath wheel-
ing a sharp lookout must be kept for these slippery
no BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
spots and weak edges, and also for stones or stumps
that run through the uneven surface.
A first coast on a hill whose pitch has been miscal- .
culated, and which proves steeper than was antici-
pated, is a terrible surprise. To find one's self cling-
ing desperately to a runaway machine, with no hope
save in the ascending grade that seems so far away,
is anything but a pleasant experience. In such case
sit still, hold fast, keep straight, and if nothing is in
the way to collide with, there is hope, barring unex-
pected surface obstacles. The coaster's safety in
steering lies in swaying; the pedals are out of the
question, and the front wheel is better undisturbed.
A slight inclination to either side will alter the course
of the bicycle without interfering with balance or
momentum, and the hands can be ready, gripping
hard, to keep the wheel steady.
In coasting, sit well in the saddle, letting that take
the whole weight, and do not push too hard with the
feet on the coasters. The feet should not be braced
against the coasters, but should rest easily against
them with an even pressure.
To learn to coast, practise at first either on a
slight or a small grade; another way is to get up
speed on the level, and take one foot off at the time.
The most marvellous experience of bicycling is to
have a wind carry you coasting up hill — a wind, too,
that is seemingly adverse, or at least not directly
favorable.
«
Trust to the map, the watch, and the cyclometer
to locate your whereabouts, and do not place too
much faith in answers to inquiries, unless you are
WA TCH AND C YCLOME TER, 1 1 1
Speaking to a bicyclist; for people unaccustomed to
accurate judgment differ greatly in their estimation
of a given distance or a general direction. You need
only stop three or four times in a mile or two, and
inquire the way to a town say five or six miles dis-
tant, to be convinced of this fact.
• 1
CHAPTER XIII.
Women and Tools.
Most women can sew on a button or run up a seam ;
sewing, in fact, is regarded rather as a feminine in-
stinct than an art. There are many capable people
in the world, both men and women, who can compre-
hend at a glance the use or the application of an
article or an idea — people who instinctively use
their eyes and hands with ease and accuracy ; there
are others who learn more slowly to use their me-
chanical senses; and there are also those whose at-
tention has never been called to certain simple me-
chanical facts and details that they are quite capable
of understanding. To all the mastery of these facts
means an expenditure of more or less time, and in
this busy world of ours, there is nothing so much ap-
preciated or so carelessly wasted. It is my intention
to place before my readers a few simple mechanical
explanations.
I hold that any woman who is able to use a needle
or scissors can use other tools equally well. It is a very
important matter for a bicyclist to be acquainted with
all parts of the bicycle, their uses and adjustment.
Many a weary hour would be spared were a little prop-
er attention given at the right time to your machine.
WOMEN AND TOOLS. 113
Ask any carriage maker or coachman, and he will
tell you that everything on wheels needs attention.
Any owner or lover of horses will say that horses re-
quire constant care. The bicyclist is the motor, the
horse ; the bicycle, the vehicle. These ideas should
remain distinct. When you mount a wheel, you do
not mount an iron horse ; you are a human propel-
ling power, and the bicycle is a carriage.
It is all important to work without unnecessary
effort, and for this you must have a knowledge of
bicycle construction, how to make the machine run
smoothly, and how not to injure the human motor or
the mechanism. The human body is so beautifully
self-adjustable that it may be safely attributed to ig-
norance or neglect if anything goes wrong with it.
Attention should always be paid at the right time to
nature's warnings; they are danger-signals, and if
disregarded, unpleasant results are sure to follow. A
little common-sense goes far; and with that and a
right knowledge — not necessarily an extensive knowl-
edge — of the working of the human machine, there
need be little to fear from injuries resulting from
athletic exercise.
The amount of work different individuals can per-
form, of course, varies. Find out how much work
you ought to do, and do it. A physician is the only
competent judge of your limitations. Never at-
tempt any new form of exercise without being ex-
amined for it. Sensible people when they purchase
a horse require a veterinary certificate to accompany
the guarantee; and the work the horse is to do is
planned according to the ascertained amount the
1 1 4 BIC Y CLING FOR LADIES.
animal is capable of performing. If it is right for
you to wheel but five miles every other day, and at
a certain hour only, it does not follow that that is
always to be your limit. Practice accomplishes great
results; and the strength and endurance that come of
exercise taken regularly, under proper conditions,
seems marvellous to those who, after a course of
proper preparation, attempt and accomplish with
pleasure and ease what at first seemed impossible.
It is hard, of course, to see some one else do what
you would like to do and cannot; but it is weak not
to be able to say, **I have done enough, and I must
stop. ' * There are many other people similarly placed.
The bicycle may be so adapted and adjusted as to
enable bicyclists of different powers to work together
and enjoy a fair amount of sociability ; for if one has
wheeled around the world, why should that spoil
one's pleasure in wheeling around a block? To
wheel alone is not much pleasure. Find some one
to wheel around the block with you, and you have
the beginning of a club.
Many people do not understand what is best for
them. The experienced athlete knows the amount
of work he can do, and what must be done and
avoided to enable him to do his work well. Women
and girls are able to do good work, but they should
not expect to accomplish such a result through igno-
rance or neglect. They must be willing to study
and to give proper attention to important details,
and their knowledge of the subject must be sufficient
to enable them to use judgment and discrimination.
Almost any form of athletics will aid in cultivating
WOMEN AND TOOLS, I IS
these qualities ; and bicycling has besides valuable
educational features of its own. A certain familiar-
ity with mechanics is assured by a course of bicy-
cling, for it is impossible to handle a bicycle with-
out taking some degree of interest in its construction.
Women must expect ridicule and little sympathy
from experienced cyclists if they essay feats they
should not attempt. Many decide that a thing must
be easy of accomplishment because they have seen
some one do it easily. Easy muscular work, how-
ever, is the result of strength, confidence, and pre-
cision of movement, which come only from practice.
All new muscular movements and combinations of
movements must be learned ; they cannot be acquired
hurriedly with good results. People who can work
well are usually patient with a beginner who is doing
his best, knowing themselves what it means to work
hard and to face disappointment and failure and what
is involved in repeated effort. The ambitious are liable
to over-exertion, the timid not to practice enough.
There is much prejudice against athletic exercise
for women and girls, many believing that nothing
of the kind can be done without over-doing; but
there is a right way of going about athletics as every-
thing else. Prejudice can be removed only by show-
ing good results, and good results can be accom-
plished only by work done under proper restrictions.
To do a thing easily is to do it gracefully ; and grace,
without properly balanced muscular action, is im-
possible; grace is the embodiment of balance,
strength, and intelligence. Jerky movement indi-
cates lack of muscular development and training.
1 1 6 BIC YCLING FOR LADIES.
The human machine is capable of a seemingly un-
limited series of muscular movements and combined
muscular motions. Any training or practice of mind
or muscles assists to fit them for new combinations.
But little time is necessary to learn to know how to
do and what to do, though the subjects to be consid-
ered, mechanics and physiology, are exhaustive and
extensive in their range.
It is always a pleasure to do a thing well, whether
it is handling a needle or using a screw-driver; and
the art of using either successfully is not difficult to
acquire. With the bicycle it is necessary to know
what to do; the human motor, unless pushed beyond
reasonable limits, is self-adjusting. Over-taxing is
the result often of too great ambition, of failure to
keep in view the proper aim of exercise, and sacrifi-
cing health and ultimate success for passing vanity.
The bicycle is but the means to the end, first of all, of
health — health of mind and body. The human me-
chanism is far more difficult to adjust when out of
order than the mechanism of the bicycle. In bicy-
cling, the two machines are one and interdependent.
The foot on the pedal pushing the crank is but one
point of application of power conveyed by a series
of levers, actuated by muscles, controlled by nerves,
supplied and directed by accumulated power.
We hear of horse-power as a unit; we have also
human power — the amount of power the average in-
dividual can exercise. Food supplies material to be
converted into power, stored and transmuted in the
human system either for use or waste, as the case may
be. Energ)' or power, unless applied within a speci-
WOMEN AND TOOLS. 117
fied time, is given off as heat, etc. Less food is
needed, loss of appetite follows, if too little work is
done. The muscular tissues become almost useless,
it is an effort to do any kind of work ; the power is
not there. By gradual and persistent practice,
strength is acquired, and power stored in reserve.
Exercise tends to strengthen, not to weaken; over-
exercise uses up stored power and newly acquired
power as well; longer periods of rest are needed to
renew the wasted tissues than is necessary when ex-
ercise is not carried to excess. It must be kept in
mind when bicycling that rider and wheel are a com-
plete, compound, combined mechanism, and mechan-
ically inseparable. The wheeler's weight, when
shifted or inclined, affects his equilibrium, and
wheeler and bicycle are as much one as a skater and
bis skates.
Levers and their application ; power, stored, dis-
tributed, or wasted ; how to prevent waste and ac-
quire reserve ; proper adjustment to mechanical en-
vironment, translated to mean the use of a few
common tools, and their application to the adjust-
ment of the bicycle; and the care, adjustment, and
proper preparation of the machine for work, are
points of such importance that too much stress can-
not be laid on them. A little thought, a little atten-
tion at the right time, prepares fpr emergencies, for
cheerful work, and for the enjoyment of the exercise,
and the health and accumulated benefits sure to
follow.
CHAPTER XII^.
Tools and How to Use Them.
** A NUT IS a piece of metal adapted to screw on the
end of a bolt." **A bolt is a stout metallic pin
adapted for holding objects together.'* The nut is
to the bolt what the knot is to the thread, to keep it
from slipping through. Iron and steel are fibrous
materials, and very hard; though strong, they are
also brittle. Indeed, these metals, and metals gen-
erally, resemble molasses candy in their nature more
than any other familiar substance that will serve for
illustration. When heated, they become soft and
liquid ; when cold, they are tough, hard, and even
brittle. A few powerful, sharp blows with a heavy
object are enough to fracture a piece of metal. Di-
rect, heavy blows or tapping on the end of a bolt
will flatten and alter its shape sufficiently to cause
the edges to project, a very little seemingly, but
enough to render it useless.
If you wish to remove a bolt that seems to fit too
tight and resists ordinary methods, place the nut on
the bolt, and screw it on level, so that the end of the
bolt will be flush or even with the top of the nut.
Then lay your piece of wood, quite smooth and flat,
on the nut and bolt, covering both, and hammer
TOOLS AND HOW TO USE THEM. II9
gently on that with a heavy hammer, with gentle,
short, sharp, even strokes. The most obstinate bolt
will usually yield to this method of persuasion.
Should a burr have formed on the end of a bolt, a
file is necessary to remove it ; and filing off a burr is
a somewhat lengthy and tedious operation.
Unscrew a nut gently and examine it. On the in-
side will be found a spiral groove and a spiral ridge
or thread. Examine the bolt, and observe a similar
spiral groove and thread. These, when screwed to-
gether, prevent slipping, and the nut cannot be
pulled or pushed off. To remove the nut, it is ne-
cessary to turn it ; and always turn one way, from
left to right, if the nut lies uppermost.
To keep a nut from unscrewing by jarring, etc.,
screw it down until it jams, as it is called, firmly
against the surface it rests on. If screwed too tight,
it will burst or break the thread, or if enough force
is applied the bolt may break. This hardly seems
possible until we realize that in the wrench we pos-
sess a very powerful lever, capable of destroying
quite a large bolt and its accompanying nut. If
pains be taken always to start a nut on square and to
turn gently and firmly and not too fast, the previous
instructions may prove unnecessary.
There are usually two kinds of wrench in a bicycle
outfit — an adjustable wrench with sliding jaw, and
one or more key -wrenches, so called because made
to fit particular parts of the machine, and to be used
for them only. The adjustable wrench with sliding
jaw should be used with the pressure or pull coming
on the angle of the head, and the sliding jaw so
I20 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
placed as to hold its position, the wrench applied so
that the greatest strain is taken at the strongest part;
then the faces of the jaw keep smooth and true, and
will not deface the plating or polish of the machine.
There is another point to note — that a properl)'
adjusted wrench starts a nut easily, while if the
strain is taken on the movable jaw of the wrench,
there is give enough in the wrench itself to prevent
the nut from starting, and the wrench slips ofiE the nut
without effecting its object. The handle of the
wrench acts as a lever, and the head of the wrench
forms a right angle with the handle; it is here that
the power is centred, not at the angle made by the
movable jaw. Of course, this position seems the
reverse of proper until it is analyzed; but once
understood and adopted, it will prove most effec-
tive.
There are various screws in and about the machine.
A screw is defined as a bolt or bar having a thread
cut upon it spirally, so that it will enter a hole in
which a corresponding spiral groove and thread have
been cut, or on which they will be formed by the
screw entering the hole. The thread and screw in-
terwind and prevent the screw from being withdrawn
unless it is turned. To turn the screw, a notch is
cut on one end, which is made flat for that purpose,
and the other end of the screw is pointed, to enable
it to enter the hole easily. After a screw is placed
and started in its proper hole, it is only necessary to
turn it until it is driven home. To turn the screw,
a short bar is flattened thin to enter the notch on the
end of the screw.
TOOLS AND HOW TO USE THEM. 1 21
The screw-driver should be held and turned with
one hand, and steadied and guided with the other.
Metal is not so hard but that the leverage of the screw-
driver is enough to bend the notches on the end of a
screw, and thus render it useless. The question
may be raised. Why are not screws made harder?
If metal is tempered too hard, it becomes brittle, and
flies. A well-tempered screw should be neither too
hard nor too soft, but adapted for its particular use
or position.
A screw should always be made clean before it is
screwed home, any particle of dust or rust being
liable to injure the thread and spoil the screw. If
the screw is oily or greasy, it will work loose. All
screws, bolts, etc., therefore, should be carefully
wiped, and never placed where there is any chance
for even a little dust to settle upon them. A nut
with a small grain of sand inside will burst or break
the thread of the bolt.
Bolts and screws are used to hold different parts
together or in place and to give strength and firm-
ness.
There is usually an oil-can belonging to every ma-
chine, and a bicycle should be provided with a good
one, small, light, and easily carried ; and special care
should be taken that it does not leak. A greasy oil-
can is unpleasant to handle and almost useless, as it
cannot be handled properly. The least possible
amount of oil that can be used is the proper quantity.
Greasy bearings only collect dust, and the dust
follows the oil back into the friction surfaces, where
its presence is always undesirable.
122 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
Two kinds of lubricant are used on a bicycle — oil
and graphite. A lubricant is used to diminish fric-
tion where two or more surfaces move over each other.
If these surfaces are of the same material and the
same degree of hardness, they do not slip ; but the
unevennesses of the surfaces engage each other and
cause resistance, which produces friction, and friction
causes heat, and the parts move more and more
slowly, until at last they stop. Now, if a substance
of a different character, like oil or graphite, is intro-
duced between the moving surfaces, it forms little
cushions, which prevent the two surfaces from com-
ing into close contact ; and, as the oil or graphite
splits up readily into minute particles, the surfaces
slip upon that, instead of holding fast. A smooth
surface of metal is full of inequalities, perceptible
when magnified, and slipping past each other with
as much difficulty as would surfaces of sand paper.
Only oil of the best quality and pure graphite
should be used. Nothing sticky or gritty in its na-
ture should be allowed near bearing surfaces.
The pump is an all-important and indispensable
adjunct of the pneumatic tire. Each tire is fitted
with a valve, and accompanied by a pump with which
to inflate it. A valve is a lifting, sliding cover,
connected with an aperture to prevent the passage of
air or other fluids, and so constructed that the pump
forces the cover down, and the air pushes past.
The cover is held in place by a spring and air pres-
sure, and, fitting tightly against a washer of some
soft, impervious material, makes an air-tight joint,
and will not move unless displaced. The pump it-
TOOLS AND HOW TO USE THEM, 123
self is fitted with a valve to fill its cylinder or barrel
with air, and to hold the air after the cylinder is full
and when the plunger of the pump is forcing the air
out of it again. A flexible tube coupling is used to
connect the pump-barrel with the valve of the tire.
The valves are of many patterns and sizes, and
there are pumps made to fit special tires, and pumps
that will in a manner suit almost any ordinary valve.
It is most important to note that all the washers
about the pump and valves are in place. Deflated
tires are often caused by a misplaced washer; and
though valves are so constructed that it is not easy to
disturb the washers, still it is well to know where
they are and when they require attention. Washers
wear out and require renewing, and sometimes a de-
fective washer should be replaced; they are usually
made of rubber or leather, but metal washers are
sometimes used where there is much pressure or
friction.
The metal used in bicycle construction must be
finished, smoothed, and prepared to resist the corro-
ding effects of the atmosphere and to present an at-
tractive and durable exterior. The metal used for
the different parts must be smoothed and polished;
all foreign substances, like grease, removed from
their surface bj^ a chemical process; and lastly a
coating of nickel deposited on the surface by means
of electricity. The nickel in this way becomes a
part of the original metal, and protects its surface
from rust and corrosion. A well-nickeled piece of
metal, beautifully polished, and kept free from finger
marks, loses its lustre only when neglected. Of
124 BICYCUXG FOR LADIES,
course, there are other ways of finishing the surface
of the metal parts of the bicycle; other plating metal
may be substituted for the nickel, and other finish
than polish used.
Light wheels cannot be recommended for rough
country or for very fast work over only moderately
good roads. A certain weight of material has been
taken from the bicycle to make it light; the machine
begins to lose its rigidity and consequentl)^ its ac-
curacy, and cannot maintain its direction, but wavers,
and really travels further to attain a given distance.
The weight of a bicycle should depend on the roads
it is to cover and the purposes it is to serve. Very
light wheels wear out quickly; they cannot stand
the strain of practice. Beginners, therefore, shculd
choose a wheel that can endure the handling they
will give it.
A very light, well-made, and delicately adjusted
bicycle can carry a skilled cyclist any w^. ere; but a
light wheel sooner loses its accuracy, and is then
more difficult to work than a heavier wheel that luns
true. Heavy wheels are not to be endured; light
wheels, too light wheels, not to be encouraged.
CHAPTER XK
Solving a Problem,
When choosing a wheel, you should know what
you want and why you want it. Machines are built
for special purposes, and any reliable dealer can
help you in selecting a machine and will guarantee
satisfaction. Bicycles wear out, of course, but
with proper care they may be made to last a long
time.
Careful examination of your wheel should always
be made before starting for even a short ride; and
on returning it is well to test gear and pedals, to
look at spokes and tires. Any needed repair can be
noted, and attended to at convenience. Always ex-
amine your bicycle thoroughly after a collision, for
shocks are dangerous even to the toughest metal, and
such precaution may prevent a serious accident.
On returning from a ride the wheel should have a
thorough going over, the enamel dusted, and any
mud washed off with a wet sponge. The chain, if
your machine has one, should be taken off every two
or three hundred miles of dusty road, and soaked in
kerosene over night; the nickel or metal well dusted,
rubbed with a chamois, and polished; and all the
bearings, axles, and gear carefully wiped, and dust
1 2 6 BIC Y CLING FOR LA DIES.
and grit removed. Then the chain should be re-
placed, oiled, graphited, and the bearings oiled.
The chain is a complicated mechanism, consisting
of many repetitions of parts; it should be kept clean
and well lubricated. To apply graphite, turn the
wheel upside down, hold the graphite still against
the chain, and turn the wheel. The oil is needed in
the joints of the chain; the graphite where the chain
engages the cogs. The other parts used for applying
power need the usual care given to the best machines
— absolute cleanliness, freedom from grit, and
thorough lubrication.
The chain is at present a mechanical detail only,
and the application of power to the wheel capable of
a great variety of forms. The principle remains
the same, the application of power; the mechanical
contrivance for transmitting it is a detail of con-
struction. The difference of individuality can be
compensated for in the length of the lever, size and
number of gear, size of wheel, diameter of wheel,
and width of tread.
The ideal machine requires little adjustment.
The less the screws, the nuts, and the bearings are
wrenched, the more perfect is the machine, the more
free from wear and dents and scratches. To apply
a wrench is a serious responsibility that should not
be undertaken lightly. It seems easy, and yet skilled
men are employed just for that kind of work, for it
is work requiring the precision of the trained me-
chanic.
After purchasing a watch, the owner does not at
once investigate the machinery ; yet many, because
SOLVING A PROBLEM, 1 27
the tools are at hand, are tempted to experiment on
a bicycle. A bicycle, like a watch, should be ready
to run, and only require winding up to keep it going.
It should be adjusted ; and if it needs regulating, this
should be done by people who understand the ma-
chine and have the requisite knowledge and respon-
sibility to do well what is to be done. Two rules
may be laid down for one who does not study me-
chanical details — never to touch the bicycle except
to ride it ; and never to let any one else touch it who
has not skill and experience.
This practice will prove satisfactory until some
day, miles from home, the bicycle will not go; you
carry it more miles to the nearest conveyance, and
. send it home. There you have it examined, and find
that a touch sets it free; just as sometimes, when
your watch will not go, you take it to a watchmaker,
and he examines it, winds it up, and hands it back,
telling you there is no charge. After learning to
wheel a bicycle, therefore, the next step should be
to learn to care for it. Unless somewhat familiar
with machinery, it is bewildering to contemplate
taking the thing apart and putting all those parts to-
gether again; even more bewildering is it, having
taken the thing apart, not to be able to put it togeth-
er. In such case, there is nothing to do but to gath-
er the pieces of the puzzle, and send them to be set
up. If in this extremity a friend who knows all
about a bicycle should offer assistance, it is well to
hear what he has to say before he undertakes the
work. **I do not think your wheel is just like
mine, * * perhaps, or * * Where do these things belong ? * *
128 BIC Y CLING FOR LA DIE S.
is enough for the wise. Better send to the shop for
a machinist at once. All the parts of the bicycle are
made to go together in one way, and any attempt at
experiment may injure the mechanism.
When you undertake to investigate a bicycle for
the first time, take an old one as a subject, and en-
deavor to put it in perfect running order. If an old
bicycle cannot be had, proceed with much circum-
spection. Go where you will be undisturbed, where
there is plenty of room, and where a key may be
turned if there is possibility of interruption. There
is sure to be some oil and grease spattered about, in
spite of the utmost care, and it is well to remember
this while making preparations. Have ready a pile
of old newspapers, some cups, plates, and boxes, and •
a painting apron if you possess one; if not an old
skirt and apron, and sleeves well rolled up. For
tools, a monkey-wrench, two or three screw-drivers,
large as well as small, a hammer, one or two pieces
of wood, the bicycle kit, oil, graphite, a can of kero-
sene, some cheesecloth and canton flannel, and a large
wooden box.
Take two newspapers folded in half, and put them
on the floor for the saddle and handle-bars; then
turn the bicycle upside down, and arrange the news-
papers under the saddle and handles. If there is a
bell, take it off, or place a block under the opposite
end of the bar to balance it. Before turning the bi-
cycle over, remove the lantern, if there is one on the
bicycle, as the oil will be spilled out if the lamp is
turned upside down. .
Begin by carefully removing all mud and grit
SOLVING A PROBLEM, 129
from the bicycle. Wear old gloves, and remove mud
with the hand when possible, finishing with a cheese-
cloth duster and an old oily cloth. Go over all the
joints where the wheels turn, and remove every par-
ticle of grit, then remove mud and dust.
An experienced worker, to save labor, cleans each
piece as it comes off, but the beginner must work
more slowly. Have ready a shallow- box or tray to
receive the parts as they are removed. Lay each
part, as it is taken off, in the tray, with the oily side
up, for a guide. First, remove the chain, turn it
until the nut of the little screw-bolt is found. This
little bolt forms one of the link-pins, and can be
found quite readily. One end of the bolt has a
screw-head notch, and the other a nut and thread.
Use the small bicycle screw-wrench for this, a large
screw-driver, and a small screw-driver to fit the
screw. Turn the chain until the bolt is in a conve-
nient position, then take the large screw-driver or a
rod, and place through the spokes of the rear wheel,
letting the bar rest on the frame. This will prevent
the wheel from turning, and keep the pedals and
sprocket-wheel in position; your fingers may be
caught and badly cut if this precaution is not taken.
Fasten the small wrench on the little nut, and hold
it there with one hand, with the other unscrewing
the little screw with a small screw-driver. Should
the screw fail to yield easily, a drop or two of kero-
sene will soften the rust and grit, and help to start it.
Return the nut to the screw end, and place it on
the tray. Take hold of one end of the chain, and
remove the bar that steadies the rear wheel, then
I30 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
turn one of the pedal cranks, and the chain will come
oflE in your hand. The chain should be placed in
kerosene and left to soak.
The enamel of the frame should then be carefully
rubbed and polished with canton flannel. A clean
piece should be kept for the purpose, for if greasy it
gives a dull look to the enamel. The plating should
be first polished with a cloth, and then if dull with
whiting. Nickel plating takes a beautiful polish
with electro-silicon used on canton flannel.
Go carefully over each oil-cup, and be sure it is
cleaned, and work around the ends of the axles.
Ascertain if either wheel needs adjusting, and look
carefully to see that the rims are true. A good way
to do this is to hold a pencil-top on the frame against
the rim of the wheel, and spin the wheel. If it
touches evenly all around, the wheel is true; if un-
even, take the bicycle to a repair shop and have the
wheels trued as soon as possible.
After cleaning all the bearings, put oil in the oil-
cups and replace the chain. It is well to leave the
chain soaking in kerosene, and later hang it up to
drip, and when dry, it will be found bright and clean ;
or keep a can of lubricating oil in which to soak the
chain, and after draining it thoroughly, wipe clean
before replacing on the machine. Take an oil-can,
and oil each separate rivet. Start the chain on the
sprocket, and pull it over the rear sprocket by turn-
ing a pedal crank, bringing the ends on the lower
side. Place the bar across as before, to keep the
sprocket from moving, and then replace the little
screw-bolt, using a small wrench, and a screw-driver
SOLVING A PROBLEM. 13 1
that fits the screw. Remove the bar, see that the
chain is not too tight, and note if it requires any
taking up, an adjustment that is done in the rear
wheel.
Hold the stick of graphite on a convenient surface
of the chain, and turn the cranks; then dust the
chain to take off any small lumps of the lubricant,
and the wheel is ready to be run. Examine the tires
and valves, see that the tires are not too soft, and in-
flate them. See that the valves are in order, then
set the wheel right side up. Replace bell and lan-
tern, rub off any finger-marks, and the bicycle is
ready.
If the bicycle has been running for some time,
and in spite of the care bestowed on it, the chain runs
a little heavy, the pedals don't spin as they should,
or the cranks revolve as often as they might, and
the wheels are sluggish, there is no remedy but to
take down the bicycle, clean It thoroughly, set it up
and adjust it. It will require several hours* hard
work to do this, combined with a knowledge of ma-
chinery and a knowledge of bicycle working, or else
enterprise, care, and common sense.
Begin work on a wheel perfectly free, as far as the
outside can be made so, from sand, mud, and grit.
Remove the chain and put it to soak. Have a pan
of kerosene, and place each small part in that to soak,
and any part that has friction surface or is notably
oily or greasy.
Begin serious work on a pedal, which is small and
easily handled. If the pedal is a removable one,
take it off. If the spindle is stationary, take off the
132 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
movable parts, first the nuts or screws, then loosen
the cones, having a box placed underneath to catch
the balls if any should fall out. Support the box
well up under the pedal, as the balls bounce and
jump about. Even if you have had the pedals oflE
before, and know how it is done, it is well to have
something to catch the balls, as otherwise you must
atone for any mistake by a scramble. Place the balls
in a separate dish of kerosene, and carefully count
them. Wipe the movable parts of the pedals with a
cloth wet in kerosene, and finish with a dry cloth.
In taking a pedal down, the place of each part
should be carefully noted, so that it may be a simple
matter to replace the parts. If, the first pedal being
now apart, the novice is confused, there is the other
pedal to afford comparison. Study that, then return
the parts of the dismembered pedal to their proper
places, and adjust them. The balls may. prove
troublesome; but a screw-driver dipped in vaseline
will pick up any very small balls, and pliers can
manage the larger ones. See that cones and washers
are replaced, then add a few drops of oil, adjusting
the pedal to spin easily without lateral play, and
tighten cones and nuts. Spin the pedal for a final
test, and then begin on the other pedal.
If after several hours* work, but one pedal is fin-
ished, if that one pedal is in perfect order, there is
much cause for congratulation. The other pedal
may be done very much more easily and rapidly.
Of course, it takes time to wipe all the balls and
cones, and nuts and screws, and washers and spin-
dles, and when the pedal is in your band, a little
SOLVING A PROBLEM. 133
time may be spent to give it an extra rub to brighten
its polish. Wipe ofiE any oil that may have shown
in the joints of the bearings, and the pedals are
finished.
The front wheel should next engage attention.
Take a large wrench, and start the bearing cones,
and take off the nuts at opposite sides of the ends of
the forks. These nuts are screwed on the ends of
the axle, and perhaps have metal washers under them.
Place them in a box by themselves, and if the forks
are notched, there will be nothing to do but to lift
out the wheel. If the ends of the forks have only
eyes, the forks must be sprung to take the wheel out.
When the wheel is in your hand, avoid letting any
grease or oil touch the tire, for it will injure the
rubber. Now proceed to work on the axles. Sup-
port the wheel on a large, empty wooden box. The
axle is a spindle, and has cones to hold the balls in
against the bearings. The cones must be removed
and cleaned, and the socket of the hub made clean
with an oily cloth followed by a clean one. The
axle's spindle should be replaced, and the balls and
cones restored to their proper relative positions.
Drop in a little oil, adjust and tighten the cones^
then spring the wheel back between the forks, and
true it; see that it runs even between the forks and
that the cones are keyed up firm and even. Replace
the nuts, and screw up firm. Wipe off any oil that
may have worked out, and spin the wheel to try it.
If it runs long and steadily, and has no lateral play,
and everything is keyed up tight and true, this part
of the work may be considered finished.
134 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
Some prefer to use a little pure graphite for the
balls, and no oil; and again some bic3'cles are made
without oil-cups^ For the first work, oil is safer to
handle; but remember that two or three drops are
enough. Too much is worse than useless, for oil
spreads over a large surface, and will cover all the
surface of the bicycle with a thin film, which will
need to be constantly wiped off.
The rear wheel may be removed without springing
the frame. Unscrew the adjustment attachment,
and the wheel will come out. Clean the rear wheel
bearings in the same way you have cleaned those of
the front wheel ; replace the rear wheel, and put back
the adjusting attachment.
Give the crank axle the same care and attention
that the wheel axles have received. The pedal
cranks are fastened on either end of the crank axle
in such a way that the dead centre is avoided as much
as possible. The large sprocket-wheel is on the
crank axles, and sometimes not movable. The
cranks are screwed or fastened with pins to the ends
of the axles, and should not be disturbed. Take the
large key- wrench from the kit, and start the bearing
cones. If the crank must come off, see that the nut
on the end of the crank-pin is flush with the end, and
place a piece of wood on it before striking it with a
hammer, as already explained, to start the bolt or
pin. Or if you have some one to help, let a heavy
hammer-head be held under the crank beside the bolt,
at the other end ; and the double shock and recoil
from the heavy hammer as the blow is struck will
jar the bolt loose.
SOLVING A PROBLEM, 135
Remove and clean the cones and balls, then replace
and oil them, and adjust the cones tight, ready for
adjustment when the cranks are in place. The only
bearings left to attend to are those in the head of the
frame. Take out the handle-bars, and wipe them
and their socket very careful y ; never allow any oil
to remain there. The handles should never be im-
movably tight; yet grease, if any were introduced,
would perhaps cause them to slip when they should
remain in place. The crank axle-key usually fits the
cone of the head of the frame, and that may be
treated as any other set of ball bearings— loosened,
removed, cleaned, replaced, oiled, adjusted, and
tightened. Any dust may be removed from inside
the frame-head while the bearings are off.
When the head bearings have been restored and
the handle-bar replaced, put on the chain and adjust
it. The rear wheel is arranged to move forward or
back on the frame by the adjusting attachment.
This allows the two sprocket-wheels to be placed
nearer together or farther apart, and the chain may
be stretched and held between them to any desired
degree of rigidity or of slackness.
When the bicycle has been set up, the parts correct-
ly replaced, before turning it right side up, go over
the entire adjustment of the machine, to see that
nothing has been forgotten. Have wrench and screw-
driver at hand and a clean cloth. Begin with the
bearings of the front wheel. See that the oil is not
working out, and wipe them again. Take the key,
and see that they are true and tight. Apply the
screw-wrench to the nuts of the fork, and see that
13^ BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
they are screwed home. Treat the rear wheel in the
same way, and look that both wheels travel on the
same line or plane; if they do not, it is because the
bearings are out or the frame is bent. Go over the
axle bearing, feel the chain, spin the pedals and
wheels. A well-adjusted wheel will carry the weight
of the valve around quickly and then swing back,
showing how sensitive it is to so small a weight. If
you are satisfied that everything is right, turn the
bicycle right side up, and square the handle-bars.
The only way to do this is to stand in front of the
bicycle, and take the wheel between the knees while
the handles are pulled into place.
The saddle-post and screw-nuts that hold it should
be examined and removed and carefully wiped, as
well as the socket where they belong. The screw
that holds the saddle-post in place does its work by
friction, and any oil would prevent it from acting
properly, and the saddle would slip. Keep the oil-
can carefully wiped, and see that the little spout has
a clean round hole at the end that will allow only a
drop at a time to escape; for oil travels and spreads
in a marvellous manner, appearing where least ex-
pected or wanted. If there is a hand-brake on the
bicycle, adjusted to alter with the handle-bars,
examine it carefully, and wipe the rods. Oil here
will allow the coupling to slip and the action of the
brake to be impaired.
There are so many things to be carefully observed
and accurately done in this kind of work that mis-
takes and omissions may be easily made by the in-
experienced ; but there need not be so many blunders.
SOLVING A PROBLEM, 137
after all, if one works slowly and observingly, tak-
ing notes, in writing if necessary, as for instance
how far the bearing cones are keyed in when in
place, which is the reverse side of the crank and
pedal pins, if they are interchangeable, or rights and
lefts.
Screw threads are made rights and lefts, and
threads are made to fit them in the sockets where
they belong. That pedals may not work loose, the
spindles are made right and left, with a reverse screw,
so that forward pedaling drives them tighter. In
the older constructions, the pedal sometimes became
unscrewed and fell off, or the nut fell off and the
pedal loosened. All such matters should be studied
before taking down a machine. Usually the maker's
catalogue will describe and illustrate these details.
Study that, and learn the names and uses of all the
parts of the bicycle, and then you will be prepared
to go to work by yourself, or with but little assist-
ance.
CHAPTER XVI
Where to Keep a Bicycle.
Almost anywhere that a bicycle can stand or hang
will do for a place to keep it; and almost any place
will do to go to work on a bicycle — the roadside,
the lawn (though the grass is worse than a haystack
to lose things in), anywhere, in fact, that may suit
your convenience. The accessories of the bicycle
should have places where they may always be found,
and the bicycle itself should be kept where it will
be undisturbed and where it may be kept free from
finger-marks, dust, and oil.
With the bicycle should be kept certain conveni-
ences for handling it — a table or bench fitted conve-
niently, frames to hold the wheel for cleaning and
adjusting, a good light to work by, and a place for
the tools that are sure to accumulate. There are
two kinds of workshop for the amateur — the one
that you fit up for yourself, and the one that is fitted
up for you. The amateur with a place well fitted
out likes to add details of home construction, and the
proud owner of a corner cupboard is always anxious
to replace makeshifts. In either case, get the best
you can, and take care of it Of tools, the best are
always cheapest; but good tools, or tools of any
WHERE TO KEEP A BICYCLE. 1 39
kind, can become a very expensive luxury. Taste
for the best comes quickly to even the moderately,
enthusiastic.
A bicycle rack room should be light, with plenty
of head room, and conveniently fitted with racks,
shelves, and lockers. Each rack should have its
corresponding shelf-room and pigeon-hole, either
beside it or above and behind it. There is an infi-
nite variety of racks to select from, from the two
stakes driven into the ground or fastened to the floor,
to the handsomely finished metal racks with joints to
hold the frame at any angle.
If there is but one bicycle to care for, it is better
to have its rack and shelf and cupboard together —
the rack to hold the bicycle in a proper position, the
shelf for sundry attachments, and the cupboard for
the lamp and extras. Such a bicycle corner can be
made very attractive to look at when everything is
arranged and kept in perfect order. When several
bicycles are to be cared for together, when neatly
set up they make a very pretty showing. If possible,
the rack-room should be separate, set apart for that
purpose, and kept under lock and key; it should be
dry and well lighted, free from frost, and not likely
to be over-heated by direct sun-rays in summer.
The frost is injurious to metal and enamel; and the
sun or too much heat will spoil rubber, and possibly
injure enamel as well.
An even temperature, not any special degree of
temperature, is requisite ; for changes of temperature
cause different degrees of expansion and contraction
in different materials; and as the steel frame, and
1 40 BIC Y CLING FOR LA DIES,
the enamel it is covered with, do not expand and
contract in quite the some degree, they will gradual-
ly work loose from each other, and the enamel will
flake or split.
The rubber tire should be kept out of the sun, and
the place where it stands should be kept very clean,
and no oil allowed about; for oil is injurious to the
rubber, and in case of punctures makes repairing
very diflBcult, if not impossible. A rubber surface
with even the slightest film of oil will not make a
joint, as the oil prevents the rubber surface and that
of the cement and the article to be repaired from
uniting.
If the workshop is to be used by more than one
person, each should have a tool-chest and a work-
bench of his own, and each tool-chest provided with
lock and key, and each person with a key to the outer
door. Tools are but the continuation of the individ-
ual brain and will power. What one handles
becomes, while in one's hand, a part of one's self,
as it were. Tools, therefore, should be individual
property always, just as scissors and thimble are,
though of course extra tools may be provided for
general work. Every one prefers a good pair of scis-
sors to a poor pair, and the same preference is likely
to be evinced in the case of other tools. If the
tools are common property, the best will be always
taken, and often not restored to their proper place.
A bic5''cle workshop is devoted to metal work,
woodwork, and rubber work. The metal work
should be kept by itself, and the tools used for metal
work only.
WHERE TO KEEP A BICYCLE, 1 4.1
The amateur can commence fitting a shop by set-
ting up a small deal table and a vise. The table will
do for a work-bench, and one vise will serve for a
beginning; it should be of medium size, quite heavy,
made of wrought iron or cast steel, and capable of
holding a wrench in its jaws, though a less expensive
one could be made to do. A cheap vise, however, is
pretty sure to break if a strain is put upon it; and,
while a good workman could get comparatively good
work out of a poor vise, the poor tool in unskilled
hands would be sure to show its weak place.
Have a notch cut in the edge of the table to let
the vise back to where there is bearing surface; and
it is well to have it as far in as convenient, for the
weight will thus be supported more steadily. Get a
plumber to cut a section of lead pipe about as long
as the jaws of the vise, and have the piece of pipe
split and flattened. You can do this yourself if you
can handle a saw, and have one that is suitable for
cutting metal; or a jig saw will do, and the lead can
be flattened on a block with a mallet. Screw one of
the flattened pieces of lead into the jaws of the vise,
leaving about an inch to project above ; hammer the
projecting part over, and one side of the jaws will
have a lead face that can be taken out. Do the
same with the other piece of lead. Replace them
both, and the vise is fitted with a pair of lead jaw
faces, which will be found most useful.
The lead being sofc, any small metal object may
be held between the jaws without injury, while if
the steel face of the vise came in direct contact with
the metal, a screw for example, the thread might be
I4« BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
bruised ; or if the screw were harder than the vise,
the face of the jaws would be marred.
With a work-table, a vise, and the bicycle kit, a
very fair beginning may be made, and any refractory
small part handled with ease. Even the spindle oi
the axles of one of the wheels may be screwed in,
and the bearings removed, while held in this way.
The vise will act as a clamp for holding pieces to be
polished, and it is most useful in taking a pedal or
other small parts down. Above the table should be
a tool-rack, three feet of board ten or twelve inches
wide, with a ledge or shelf nailed along the lower
edge, and a strip of leather or some stiff and pliable
material nailed on in loops to hold the tools. Under
the table should be kept a couple of boxes — wooden
boxes such as canned goods come in will do— one as
a receptacle for oil-cans, kerosene, and cloths, and
the other to use as a frame. The outfit should be
completed by a little bench, and a wooden stool to
sit on when working at the table; for much of the
work about a bicycle may be done while seated com-
fortably, and it is always well to save strength when
possible.
A workshop once started, many little contriv-
ances suggest themselves for convenient working,—
a nail must be put up for the apron, a corner found
for the working gloves, separate places allotted for
oily cloths and clean ones and for the kerosene. The
bicycle lamp, if an oil-lamp, should have a stand
for trimming and filling, and should be cared for
regularly; the best of lamps will smoke occasionally,
and the soot must not be allowed to fly about.
WHERE TO KEEP A BICYCLE, 143
From fitting up a bicycle workshop, the transition
is easy to studying accomplishments that may be of use
— planning tours and trips, exercising scientifically
to prepare to enjoy them, studying the construction
and improvement of modern contrivances, learning
the use of map and compass, investigating camping
possibilities, and learning how to depend on limited
resources when cut off from supplies. The simple
appliances and contrivances of the home workshop
lead the mind to appreciation and desire for some-
thing better, more workmanlike. A choice of tools
suggests itself ; and from the first assortment of a
couple of wrenches, a few screw-drivers, a hammer,
and a couple of wooden boxes, is finally evolved the
well+furnished amateur workshop.
The ideal room for this purpose should have a good
north light, with windows on two sides if possible,
and high enough from the floor to allow a work-
bench to be placed in front of the window with the
light falling upon it, and a space of ten inches or a
foot between the lowest part of the window and the
bench ; this space to be arranged as a rack for tools.
The windows should open and shut easily, and be
fitted with two kinds of shades, dark green and
white, two pairs of shades to each window, two roll-
ing up from the lower part, and two down from the
upper part. Nothing is so fatiguing as working by
light not suited to the work to be done. With shades
arranged in this way, light may be perfectly con-
trolled, and distributed where needed by means of
reflectors. Ventilating and heating, also, must he
arranged for.
144 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
The workshop should have running water, and a
closet for working clothes, which are apt to be oily
or greasy. There should be plenty of shelf-room,
and an extra cupboard or two. The floor should be
of wood, unpainted. There should be a bench for
carpenter work and carpenter tools; a bench for
cabinet- working tools for fine wood-working ; a table
for rubber and naphtha; and a long, heavy, narrow
bench fitted with vises of different sizes and pat-
terns; a table devoted to the blast furnace, a corner
for an anvil and portable forge and another for a
lathe and power-saw, though these may be dispensed
with. The movable furniture may consist of stools
and benches of different heights, and the frames
necessary to take down and handle a bicycle on.
Metal can be bent, twisted, cut, pressed, elong-
ated, sawed, stretched, and melted into any shape
desired. The tools adapted to this work may con-
sist of holding tools, carving tools, molding tools,
and bending tools; and contrivances and tools made
to perform certain work, as screw-driver, etc.
Cutting tools are knives, saws, files, and chisels,
which perform their work by applied power, wheth-
er controlled directly by the hand or otherwise.
The metal-working outfit may contain many vari-
eties of tools.
CHAPTER Xyil.
Tires,
In the older forms of wheel, the tire did duty in
protecting and strengthening the wheel and holding
it together. In the bicycle wheel, the rim is the
strengthening and supporting contrivance. The tire
protects the rim, and acts as a spring cushion as well,
receiving shock and jar. The solid rubber tire was
an advance over the old steel tire on the bone-shak-
ing machine, as it was called, in the days when the
bicycle was still in its experimental stage.
The solid tire was narrow, and after a certain
diameter of material was reached, the weight of
rubber became too great if the tire was made larger.
It was found that a certain thickness of material was
sufficient for wear and tear and that more surface
was desired to grip the roadway, and that conse-
quently the tire should be made lighter. Hose-pipe
was tried, and did well; and then experiment suc-
ceeded experiment in the efifort to produce a tire that
would fit, wear well, be light, and give speed and
resiliance.
A pneumatic tire is made of a tough, hard outer
material to resist wear, a fibrous inner material to
give stiffness and prevent stretching, and an imper-
146 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
vious inner layer to retain the air. Rubber is a
sticky, gummy substance, easily melted at a com-
paratively low temperature, and becoming hard
when exposed to the air and moderately low tempera-
ture; it dissolves readily in benzine or gasoline or
naphtha, and is insoluble in water. Grease and oil
have a peculiar disintegrating effect on rubber and
rubber materials, and are most injurious to them. To
prevent rubber substances from adhering to each
other, they are prepared in a particular way, and feel
dry and gritty to the touch.
Tires are made in layers, and double-tube tires
have a separate inner tube of impervious rubber to
hold the air, and an outer covering of toughened
material, that is quite separate and not necessarily
air-tight, to resist wear.
The tire must be held immovable on the rim of the
wheel. There is all the pull of the weight of the
moving bicycle against the surface over which it
moves, and the tire must be secured to the rim in
such a way as to keep it forced in place. There are
two methods of fastening it permanently to the rim,
— with cement or other material of that character, so
as to make it a part of the rim, as it were; and by
clamping it fast. A cemented tire, or indeed any
tire of rubber, should never be left in the sun, as the
heat affects the rubber and perhaps the cement.
Changes of temperature affect different materials
in different degrees, and the different materials ex-
pand and contract, working loose from each other
until something gives way, with apparently inexplic-
able results. When two or more different materials
TIRES, 147
are used in construction in this way, this problem
will always present itself.
The tire inflated, the impervious inner covering
of the tire tube, which is made of a soft and yielding
substance, fills the interstices in the outer covering,
rendering it air-tight. Should a hard substance then
be introduced into this material, and a puncture oc-
cur, it is necessary to locate the puncture. This is
very difficult to do if the puncture is small, and the
substance that made the hole has .been removed.
Ascertain first that the trouble is not with the valve
of the tire if the air is not retained properly. Then
test for puncture in this way. Wet the surface of
the tire, and note the bubbles that form under the
film of water, and the puncture is found.
The inner surface tire is made to resist the air, and
is usually of pure rubber. The outer covering is for
strength and wear. Rubber may be repaired with
rubber easily enough, and the purer- the rubber, the
easier it is to cement it with a cement made of pure
rubber dissolved in a volatile vehicle. Almost any
repair or renovation of the tire may be accomplished
with rubber material, rubber cement to be used for
plugging, and twine or cotton cloth to be used for
strengthening purposes. Small punctures require
only plugging from the inside; tears and rents re-
quire plugging and reinforcing as well. Each make
of tire has its repair-kit and directions for use.
The single-tube tire, with its inner coat, is so made
that the inner covering will act as a continuous plug.
The soft rubber is compressed, and put on in such a
way that the air pressure, even if a puncture occurs.
148 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
will help to close the hole by pressing on all sides
around and about it. To illustrate this principle,
cover the outside of the tube with soft rubber cement,
and let it dry. Then turn the tube inside out.
The rubber will be in an active state of compression.
Force air against the surface, and it is easily seen
how the rubber is crowded if there is any place
made by puncture, and how the hole would be closed.
Numberless punctures are made and resealed, and
the tire works all right. The puncture that does not
reseal must be plugged or patched. Rubber plugs
are made in all sizes; and rubber cement, liquid
rubber, is put up in collapsible metal tubes, like
paint-tubes, with a pointed spout to introduce the
cement behind and through the puncture. There
are numberless convenient contrivances made to hold
plugs, enlarge holes, and to do the repair work
neatly.
In mending a puncture, the tire remains on the
wheel, and the work is done from the outside of the
tire. If the hole is very small, it must be enlarged
sufficiently to introduce the plug. The rubber of
the plug is very soft and compressible, and the hole
should be considerably smaller than the shank of the
plug.
The plug must be held firmly, and forced through
the hole, and held in place while the nose of the
cement-tube is introduced, and a plentiful supply of
liquid rubber smeared over the inside of the hole
around and on the plug, and enough extra cement
added to flow all about the inside of the tire around
the puncture. Pull the plug back by the shank,
TIRES. 149
allowing the head to rest on the inside of the tire,
and the shank to come back through the hole. Pull
the plug firmly into place by the shank, which should
fit the hole very tight. Cut off the projecting end
of the plug shank, and the repair is made. Turn the
wheel until the plug comes to the lowest point, and
keep it there until the cement gets around the plug.
To smooth a ragged hole before introducing the plug,
when the proper tools are not to be had, a heated
wire may be used to make a round smooth hole.
Rubber may be handled and cut while wet with
water, but must be dry and free from grease to take
cement. Always wet the knife-blade before cutting
the end off the plug; this will ensure a smooth, clean
cut.
A puncture may be repaired by introducing almost
any material on the inner surface, and holding it in
place; and it is well +0 know of a few substitutes for
the regular repair-kit for emergency use. Punctures
difficult to locate may be found by inflating the tire
and wetting with soapy water, when a bubble will
form where the air escapes.
A puncture that goes all the way through the inner
tube of the tire must be repaired on the inside. The
outer covering of the tire is porous, and if the hole
is plugged or patched on the outside, the air will
escape in other directions through the material of the
tire. Failing the repair-kit tools, a rubber plug,
some liquid cement, a piece of string, and a pair of
pliers will do good work. Tie the string to the plug
to keep it from slipping, apply plenty of cement to
the plug, then grasp it with the pliers, and introduce
150 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
it through the hole prepared for it in the tire. Pnll
the string to pull the plug into place, see that there
is plenty of cement around and about it, inflate the
tire, and the air will hold the plug in place until the
cement hardens.
The plugs that are supplied are disks of rubber of
different sizes, with stems attached to the centre,
and a nice tool is made for the purpose of punching
the hole in the tire. When a hole is burned, the
charred edges should be removed, and if possible
cleaned with benzine. A tire well patched on the
inside is almost as good as new, and very serviceable,
unless the brake is applied frequently and unevenly,
when the plug is almost sure to feel the push.
The commercial patch or plug makes the most sat-
isfactory repair for a puncture, although there are
other things that may be used. Rubber bands may
be pressed into service, and sheet rubber also may be
used. Repair on the roadside is made in the same
way as repair in the workshop, the differences being
in the conveniences for working and the permanency
of the patch. A rent may be repaired with plugs, it
being first stitched together, then the plugs intro-
duced, and finally a patch cemented on the outside
over the rent to protect the stitches. A puncture
may be repaired with rubber bands held in place on
a wire, covered with cement, and forced into the
hole made in the tire. A piece of wire flattened
on the end, a cross piece with a notch cut in it and
twisted below, makes a fair repair needle. The end
of the projecting rubber cut off, a very fair plug
results.
TIRES. 1 5 1
Sheet rubber may be placed over the hole on the
inside, though it is difficult to keep it in place.
Twisted up and tied into a plug, or spread into place
on the inside, the difficulty with this repair is that
the patch must be held in place until the cement
hardens, and then is liable to work out of place.
Inner tube tires are repaired with patches of soft
rubber. After the puncture is located, the patch
will retain its place by being pressed against the
inner surface of the tire when inflated.
To do good work in repairing rubber, always clean
the surface of the rubber material thoroughly, wash-
ing with benzine when possible; and always test a
patch when finished by placii^g it in water or wetting
it, to ascertain that it is satisfactory. On the road a
puncture may be plugged in any time under five
minutes when located. In the workshop, it is more
convenient to hang the wheel up while making a
patch, as it is more readily held in place when work-
ing from beiow.
There are many ways of doing makeshift repairs.
Melted rosin may replace the rubber cement, and
rosin may be found at any tinsmith's. Melt the
rosin, and dip the rubber in that to make it stick.
Tire tape may be used in a variety of ways. Find
the puncture, cut strips three or four inches long,
and place them lengthwise on the tire, lapping the
edges at least half way over ; then wrap the two thick-
nesses of. tape round and round the tire, and keep
lapping the tape each time over the last turn to hold
the edge down, making it air-tight. Well put on,
tire tape will last for many miles. The tire should
1 52 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
be partly inflated while the tape is being put on, and
fully inflated when it is all on. Force more air into
the tire to cause the tape to grip securely. Such re-
pair, though not permanent, may prove serviceable
in emergency.
A simple and effective substitute for the rubber
plug is absorbent cotton or jeweller's cotton, well
dipped in cement, and the cement worked into the
cotton. Quite a large puncture may be repaired vnth
this, and the hole need not be enlarged or burnt to
receive it, as the soft mass of cotton fills the irregu-
larities in the puncture. It may be introduced into
the puncture either with an ordinary repair tool or
a piece of twisted wire. The tire is held on the rim
by cement made of shellac or some other equally
good cementing substance. Of course, in using a
cotton plug, the greatest mass of the cotton should
be on the inside of the tire, leaving a stem in the
puncture, and then the outside ends should be
trimmed off.
The tire may be readily removed with the hands
by pulling at right angles with the wheel. Rubber
cement may be made by dissolving perfectly pure
rubber in naphtha; but the commercial cement is
usually found the cheapest in the end.
If you should be so unfortunate as to break down,
what are the problems you must meet? The bicycle
is made of different materials — iron, metal, steel,
wood, rubber, and leather, and each different ma-
terial requires a different kind of treatment. The
general idea in any kind of repairs is to effect the hold-
ing of the parts in position with a material that will
TIRES, 153
supply strength and stiffness. The use of glue or ce-
ment is merely to hold parts in position, to replace the
fractured pieces and keep them in place, to enable
the particular part to do its duty, and to keep the
piece in place while the cement hardens.
There is room for great ingenuity in handling re-
pair work and in estimating the available resources.
The most common accident is a puncture in a pneu-
matic tire. There are also repairs to be considered
to the wooden rims and the spokes and the tubing
and lost or broken parts. A great deal of damage
could occur in a collision, and the bicycle be in very
poor shape, but it can be set right with a little assist-
ance from a mechanic, even though he does not un-
derstand the mechanism of a bicycle.
Suppose nothing to be injured except a piece of
the supporting tubing; or that the bicycle could be
made to go if the rim were spliced or strengthened
at a place where it has been split. A temporary
repair usually takes considerable time, and should
never be attempted unless there is nothing else to
be done. A blacksmith shop, unless the smith is
very ingenious, is not a very good place to look for
assistance; a plumber or tinsmith or locksmith,
unless a bicyclist, can help but little. For a broken
rim I would betake me to a carpenter shop or car-
riage maker's. If the break is in a straight piece
of tube, get the carpenter to make a round stick,
not as long as the broken tube, and fit it to the
inside, to slip in easily. Hardware stores keep
round wooden rods, and perhaps one of these would
answer. Push the round stick up into the tube, and,
154 filCYCLIXG FOR LADIES,
holding the parts in place, let it slip down into the
other part of the break; this will keep the ends of the
break together. Then get the carpenter to take two
blocks of wood, hollow them out to hold the tube,
and screw them fast together, holding the tube
between them. If he has an auger-bit the size of
the tubing, he can easily bore a hole in a block the
size of the tube; then have this block cut in two with
the saw, leaving the hole cut in half, and screw the
pieces together after they are placed on the broken
part. The same kind of a repair may be made on
the angles of the frame if the blocks are hollowed to
fit. This makes an unsightly job, but can be recom-
mended as strong and safe when properly done.
A broken spoke may be repaired, if it cannot be
replaced, by bending the ends of the broken parts
into loops; then, taking a piece of wire through both
loops, fasten it together, and tighten by screwing it
up.
A wooden rim may be whipped or wound. The
tire must be deflated first, and removed from the rim
at the broken place; then wind fine wire or fish-line
about the place, after filling the break with glue or
shellac. In wrapping, take care that the turns are
made very smooth and even, and close to each other.
Then the tire may be cemented and inflated. Of
course, there will be a lumpy place on the rim, but
it will do until the rim can be replaced.
Any bolt that has lost its nut, when the nut cannot
be replaced, may be held by hammering a burr on
the end. If the end is too long, a piece may be cut
or filed off, and a burr hammered down to hold.
TIRES. 155
A bicycle cannot travel easily if the frame has been
bent out of true; and to straighten a bent frame is
an easy matter. Take out wheels, saddle, and handle-
bars, and use a piece of broom-handle to spring the
frame into true; or take a stout cord, fasten it to
either end of the part to be straightened, insert a
stick, and wind the cord up tight.
There are three things to take into consideration
when doing repair work: First, finding out what is
to be done, then doing it, then seeing that it has
been done right.
CHAPTER Xyni.
Mechanics of Bicycling.
All applied mechanical power is the application
of lever movement (and lever movement is but the
effect of applied power), either simple, compound, or
complex.
In the bicycle propelled by human power, we have
a series of lever movements, initiated and executed
by the highest and most effective mechanism known
— the human body, applied human power. There is
the seat of power, the point of application, and the
object. The bicycle or object is so constructed that
it continues the application of power applied.
The lever is described as **a bar or other rigid in-
strument having a fixed point for the exercise of
power and the application of power to the object to
be moved." The series of lever movements in the
human body is the most wonderful known.
There are three varieties of levers, of three differ-
ent degrees of efficiency, known as levers of the first,
second, and third classes, or orders, of levers.
In the lever of the first class, the fulcrum is
between the weight and the power: P F W.
MECHANICS OF BICYCLING. 157
In the lever of the second class the fulcrum is op-
posite to the power: P W
F
In the lever of the third class the fulcrum is oppo-
site to the weight: P W.
F
These different powers of levers are used in com-
bination, and produce agreat variety of power effects
and applications.
Other factors to note are :
That a bod)^ in motion persists in maintaining its
direction unless other forces intervene.
That the gyroscope overcomes the force of gravity
while rapidly revolving.
That a body set in motion tends to move in a
straight line.
That the centre of gravity must be maintained by
balance if disturbed or shifted.
That force is the cause of a change in the velocity
or direction of motion of a body.
That all alterations of velocity take place gradually
and continuously.
That centripetal force and centrifugal force are
force directed by radial action.
That the air offers resistance, which increases
when the air is in motion.
That friction offers resistance to power.
That the smaller the surface presented, the less
friction there is to resist.
That resistance must be overcome by power ex-
pended for the purpose.
That the base of the bicycle is practically without
1 5 8 BIC Y CLING FOR LA DIES.
width, and is usually about from forty-two to forty-
four inches long.
That the direction of the base may be changed at
will within certain limits.
That the bicycle will fall unless prevented from
doing so.
That to prevent a bicycle from falling, or to main-
tain a bicycle on its base, it is necessary to balance it.
That the constant effort to maintain the bicycle
upright upon its base is on account of the motion of
the different opposing forces.
The bicycle is constructed to overcome the resist-
ing forces in different ways, supplying as many
forces as can be made available to accomplish a par-
ticular purpose, permitting a certain choice and dis-
crimination in the matter.
The bicycle has one weight-carrying wheel and a
frame and a pivoted wheel. The driving power is
applied to the weight-carrying wheel, and the steer-
ing is done with the pivoted wheel. The bicycle
remains upright because several forces co-operate to
enable it to maintain its plane, change direction, and
overcome certain resisting and opposing forces.
A bicyclist is propelled at a sufficient velocity to
maintain the plane of movement. By altering the
centre of gravity, inclining one way or the other,
change of direction may be made.
The front or guiding wheel of the bicycle, being
controlled by the different angles of resistance it pre-
sents to the surface it rotates upon, and not being
immovably fixed, can pivot to a plane corresponding
to a plane of least resistance. After a little momen-
MECHANICS OF BICYCLING, 159
turn is attained, a bicycle will maintain its speed
with but little assistance of power, unless it is acci-
dentally obstructed, or an increase of grade requires
an increase of power.
The frame of a bicycle is a compound lever, com-
bining the second and third orders. The wheels are
a compound lever of the second and third orders.
The fork and handles a lever of the second order.
The forks and handle-bars are set at an angle with
the front wheel, thus conveying the touch on the
ground or other surface to the pivot head and the
hands.
A moving body tends to pursue its direction. A
wheel loses its power to change its direction after
passing the point of friction. With the forks at this
angle, the blow is felt, and change of direction
caused by an obstacle conveyed ; but the wheel has
still some power to maintain its plane from friction,
and is steadied by its head. The motion of swaying
is conveyed and overcome at the tire base. If the
pivot were directly over the tire base, the swing
would be given to the wheel ; and the tire, having
passed its point of friction, would continue to swing.
If the head were pivoted on a point, there would be
no side friction on the rim; because it is pivoted
at an incline, the friction base is increased in pro-
portion, and the wheel, steadied in itself, is easily
controlled by an increased line of friction or by
prolonging the time from the point of contact.
A body in motion persists in maintaining its plane
of motion unless additional forces intervene. The
occurrence of these forces is detrimental and frequent,
i6o BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
requiring a continuous swing of the guiding wheel
either by the hands or by balance. The direction of
the base line is continually changed, as it were,
broadening the base line. The weight must incline
with the front wheel, and the front wheel will sup-
port it. If inclined away from the direction of the
front wheel, the weight becomes the long arm of the
lever, exerting weight against weight at the base of
the bicycle, there being no opposing force. The
front wheel being turned away, the bicycle falls or
slips over.
With the fork at this angle the wheel is inclined,
the frame held on the wheel at this angle, as the
wheel is turned sideways, it gradually brings the
centre directly over the axles, raising the front end
of the frame up. This pressure or leverage from
the frame tends to keep the wheel straight in the
line of least resistance. In turning, the wheel must
lift the weight, and push it up; and this factor
greatly adds to the steadiness of direction.
A bicycle with the steering wheel held fast will
maintain its plane so long as its momentum is not
overcome. With the steering wheel the plane of
movement may be regained after each opposition,
provided the proportionate amount of power is
expended.
The radius of a wheel is the long arm of a lever;
the pedal crank is the short arm of the lever, though
its length may exceed that of the radius of the
wheel.
Power and speed are interchangeable. The shorter
the arm of the crank, the greater the weight required
MECHANICS OF BICYCLING, i6i
to balance the long arm at the rim of the wheel (an
imaginary line). If the pedal crank is lengthened,
it will require less power to move it. At the same
time the foot, following the crank, describes a larger
circle for the distance travelled by the rear wheel.
The crank lengthened, the power is diminished, de-
manding increased exertion to follow it, the foot
travelling at a rate determined by the distance to be
traversed.
When the hub rests on the axle of the wheel, there
is considerable friction to overcome in the entire
length of the hub, the friction, or ability of the
wheel to turn, depending on the amount of axle sur-
face. The axle, therefore, becomes heated when
the air cannot readily reach the surface to convey
away the heat generated by friction.
Weight may be balanced and supported on a point;
when weight rests on a sphere, only a point supports
weight. By surrounding the axle with balls, the
weight is taken from point to point on each ball,
and a circulation of air allowed. The weight,
carried from ball to ball, gives the advantage of a
larger cooling surface in a confined space, while the
weight and friction are applied directly to a very
limited area. Each ball is also an axle in itself, and
carries the weight, and passes it on to the next ball.
The balls act as lubricators, preventing the moving
surfaces from contact.
The problem of speed produced by power means
that speed is obtained at the expense of power ex-
pended. The relative size of the sprocket-wheels
determines the relative speed of the cranks and rear
l62 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
wheel. To get the greatest speed with the least
power possible means diminished friction and les-
sened weight The band or chain complies mechan-
ically with these requirements^ permitting a certain
amount of play, which lessens the danger of sudden
strains and jars, and supplies the power to the rear
wheel with the least possible loss by friction.
Gear 63 73 76 80
tyi crank proportion — 4
IX-X3 to I
S-X3 to X
5 XI-13 to z
6 3-X3 to X
8 crank '* 3
Z5-16 to X
44>tftOx
33K to X
5 tox
6^ crank pressure
4.85
5-54
5.8s
6.X5
8 crank *•
3-37
3-84
4-5
5.00
t% crank ground cover-
ed by large wheel
x6ft.
xgft.
soft.
31 ft.
8 crank ground covered
by large wheel
16 ft.
xgft.
aoft.
ax ft.
6)tf crank ground covered by pedal
40.84 inches
\
8 crank »* •»
t*
50.36 inches
\
*'*' Scientific American Supplement^ No. 102s" Augrust 34, X895.
Rating wheel by the amount of progression for
each turn of the crank (pedal), the following table,
compiled by Henry Starkweather, will be found of
advantage:
No. teeth in 36 in. wheel,
large Sprocket. No. teeth in small sprocket.
6789
18 30 ft X7ft xsft 13 ft
XQ 3X ft x8 ft 16 ft X4 ft
30 33 ft xg ft 17 ft xs ft
38 inch wheel,
18 32 ft 19 ft x6 ft X4 ft
X9 23 ft 30 ft X7ft xsft
20 34 ft sxft x8ft x6ft
The following table, from the New York Evening
Posty shows the gear according to the number of
teeth on large and small sprocket-wheels:
MECHANICS OF BICYCLING. 163
Sprockets
on pedal crank.
17
x8
19
90
21
28 in. wheel
Sprockets
on rear wheel
7
8
9
68
S^%
53
72
63
56
76
66>^
59
80
70
62
84
73>tf
65
CHAPTER XIX.
Adjustment.
In bicycling, the word** adjustment" means much,
for the movable parts of the bicycle must be adjusted
tosuit the requirements of the individual bicyclist,
and the mechanical parts of the bicycle's construc-
tion adjusted so that they will work together
properly.
In a machine properly adjusted, the chain and
other gear should run smoothly, the chain be neither
too tight nor too loose, and the sprocket-wheels
exactly in line. The bicycle wheels should run true
and be exactly in line with the frame, and the rear
wheel follow the identical plane of the front wheel
when in place. The frame should be true and square
at all points, and should be examined and tested
always after the machine has been travelling by rail
or has had a fall. The bearings in all parts of the
machine should have their cone-caps in place and so
screwed and keyed that the balls run easily without
perceptible play. Nuts and washers should all be in
place and screwed home. The handle-bar should be
tight and square with the front wheel, but only tight
enough to turn the wheel on a good surface, not so
tight as to prevent it from turning easily if the
ADJUSTMENT, 165
wheel is caught or held. The proper adjustment for
position has to do with the frame, wheel-base, length
of crank, height and position of saddle; the curve,
width, height, and general adjustment of the handfe-
bar; the size and number of teeth on the sprocket-
wheels, which determines the gear; and the weight,
construction, and inflation of the tire.
The saddle is one of the most important, if not the
most important, part of the bicycle to study, as it
should provide the fulcrum to work from. Any sad-
dle may be adjusted to be comfortable, but saddles
seldom remain comfortable after being adjusted.
The saddle should be hard enough to act as a ful-
crum and should not give or spring under work, for
power is lost on each stroke that presses down on a
soft saddle; it should also permit of change of posi-
tion without readjustment, unless it is intended for
racing purposes, for the bicyclist should be able to
speed, climb, or coast on a saddle properly con-
structed for general purposes. Each of these different
kinds of bicycle work requires a different applica-
tion of muscular power, and the saddle should per-
mit of a readjustment of position that will at least
accommodate the altered tendency caused by a
shifted centre of gravity in grade work.
Every individual is differentl)' proportioned, with
differing lever lengths and lever power. If people
differently proportioned find the same adjustment
possible, it would be for the reason, not that their
different requirements average the same, but that
the average of their different requirements is the
same. A higher gear means greater resistance; a
1 66 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
lengthened crank causes the foot to travel in a larger
circle while gaining in increased leverage in the
lengthened arm.
In determining the proper proportion of crank
length and gear, it may be calculated that the same
amount of resistance may be overcome by using a
higher gear and longer crank as by using a lower
gear and shorter crank, the difference being in the
rapidity of the stroke necessary to cover a given dis-
tance in a certain length of time. This adjustment
may be considered equivalent to length of pace and
rapidity of pace in walking. It is well to have crank
and gear selected by some one sufiSciently experienced
to make an intelligent choice.
In the lever action of the leg, working the bicycle
crank, care should be taken to prevent waste of
power in carrying the foot back and behind, render-
ing the lever movement useless behind the line where
the power may be made to tell. This loss will occur
when the saddle is placed too far forward. The
foot in returning should supply the pull, and lift with
a push-back. The power here gained cannot com-
pensate for power lost on the forward and down
thrust, and the saddle should be placed far enough
back to permit of the full power of the forward push
and downward thrust. The knee should never fully
extend when the pedal is pushed to the point where
it is furthest from you, for if it is, there is danger in
hill-climbing of straining the knee as well as the ten-
dons and muscles of the back of the leg.
The handle-bars should be adapted to the work to
be done, whether racing, touring, or ordinary.
ADJUSTMENT, 167
They certainly should not be high enough to prev ant
them from taking part of the weight of the body, nor
so low as to cramp any portion of the trunk.
Fatigue, with its various manifestations, cramp,
stiffness, and numbness, comes from too long a
period of work without change of position. For this
reason different muscular combinations should be
called to do the same work, or different work should
be done with unused muscular combinations, permit-
ting rest or partial rest to muscles that have been
taxed.
A bicycle should be fitted with adjustable handle-
bar and saddle-post, and in case of fatigue or cramp,
a slight change in the adjustment will reduce the
tendency at once. Travelling should be done with
as little weight on the saddle as possible, working on
the pedals and resting on the handles. But when it
comes to climbing, the push must be located from a
fulcrum, and that fulcrum must be the saddle. All
weight must be removed from the handles, and the
wheel ridden by balance.
A hill should be coasted with the weight all on the
saddle, the feet supported, and the handles held firm-
ly and lightly, a proper average position for con-
tinuous worK being, however, maintained. To carry
weight forward, the weight should be forward of the
centre of gravity, and the hands dropped.
The question of handle-bars, with the reason of
their many varying curves, may pertinently be dis-
cussed here. The bar is a pair of levers finding a
common fulcrum in the head or centre bar, and the
difference in curve has to do with the distribution of
1 68 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
weight and the touch best suited to control the bi-
cycle according to position and individual balance
and lever power. A distribution of weight and
leverage may be made without altering the wheel
base by the use of a different pattern of bar that
seems to suit the individual touch.
To analyze the curves in a handle-bar, and their
different lever values, would be difi&cult. Prefer-
ence has much to do with it, and this may be ac-
counted for by the different steering touch of the
differently adjusted bars. The forward drop should
never be so great that the face cannot be lifted easily
and the eyes always able to see up and ahead.
In the tire we look for elasticity, and the amount
of air it contains has much to do with the comfort of
the rider and the speed of the wheel. Soft tires are
adapted for a rough or stony road. The soft tire may
wear out a little sooner, but the extra wear is fully
compensated by the gain in lessened shock and ap-
parent improvement of wheeling surface. A very
hard tire is not necessarily made of rubber. The
advantage of the rubber tire is its elasticity, which
should come between the fulcrum and the power.
To attain a proper position and its equivalent ad-
justment, first have the saddle as nearly right as
possible so that you can work comfortably ; then have
the handles and the height of the bar tested, working
on these until you can determine if the saddle is too
far forward or too far back. Then change the height
of the bars to suit the saddle.
Next attend to gear. Find if with comfort you
could exert more pressure on the pedals. If so, have
ADJUSTMENT. 169
the gear increased. If there is cramp in the foot, or
the foot feels strained, have the length of crank
changed. If the foot is long in proportion to the
other lever lengths, lengthen the crank to permit of
freer instep play; or have it shortened to relieve a
strained feeling in the foot. The crank length may
be changed to relieve either cramp or strain in the
leg and thigh until the pressure and length are ar-
ranged to suit the natural step or pace.
While these adjustments are in progress — and it
may take months to determine them — the shoe may
cause discomfort. The slightest pressure, a shoe too
tight or ill-fitting, would be responsible for much
more discomfort than could possibly be caused by
either crank or gear. Waist-bands, or any pressure
on the trunk, will cause numbness of the foot; and
a saddle of imperfect construction or wrong adjust-
ment would be responsible for the same evils — un-
equal pressure and unequal strains and overcharged
blood-vessels, with their accompanying discomforts
of cramp, fatigue, numbness, and more permanent
disorders.
CHAPTER XX.
Exercise.
How shall be determined the proper amount of
exercise for any individual ? The human body is
constructed for use, and will suffer from want of use,
rust out, as it were; and it will suflEer from over-use
if any one set of muscles or any one supply of nerve
power is overtaxed.
Exercise, in some form, is necessary for every
one; work is necessary; recreation is necessary.
Rest is to recreate, to renew. The food that we eat
is digested and made into blood; the blood flows
through the system of tissues, depositing building
material and taking up waste matter. The arterial
system, physiologists tell us, supplies the new ma-
terial ; the venous system takes up the waste material,
returning the blood to the heart, after which the
fresh air comes in contact with the blood in the.lungs,
and is aerated and oxygenated, and waste material
given off. The heart pumps the blood through the
arterial and venous systems. When we move or
work, more blood is needed, and the heart pumps
harder. When little or no exercise is taken, the heart
loses its vigor from want of use; and it may be
strained if overtaxed.
EXERCISE. 1 7 1
>
Brain power and nerve power depend on the blood
supply for renewal of their tissue. Any organ or
any combination of organs and muscles, when exer-
cised, %\v^ oflE their accumulated material, and then,
after a limit of assimilation is reached, the products
are reabsorbed. The materials properly accumulate
only when needed.
These facts bring to our notice three conditions —
a condition of atrophy, or too little use; a perfect
condition of equilibrium of forces; and a condition
of strain from over-work. In the condition of equi-
librium or perfect health, the brain is active and the
muscular tissue under perfect control. The mind
can receive impressions, and can convey them at
will; and the muscles obey without difficulty and
without fatigue, because of the great existing power
of resistance. On the power to resist fatigue depends
the power of prolonging exertion.
In exercising we exert our powers, and if from
lack of use or other cause our amount of stored
energy is small, exercise for even a very short period
will produce a condition which makes rest absolutely
necessary. Muscles must be gradually accustomed
to work ; and if work is prolonged beyond the point
where exercise is beneficial, a state of tension and
exhaustion ensues which can be remedied only by
rest prolonged enough to allow the system to recu-
perate. Where the tissues, from disuse, have come
to have little resistance value, a very gradual and
persistent course of exercise must be determined
upon, for unaccustomed muscles are quickly
fatigued, and the subsequent rest they require may
172 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
seem out of proportion to the work done. This con-
dition of affairs is discouraging when not under-
stood; yet there can be no different result except
in degree; and in degree must the condition be
changed and the tissues gradually renewed. If
there is but little power stored, only little may be
used until the power of assimilation is established.
The thin woman is benefited by bicycling; the
liver works better, the food digests better. The
stout woman is benefited, for the exercise hardens
and condenses the flesh. The average healthy woman
is kept in the best of health by the exercise and
plenty of pure, fresh air. For the sedentar^^ the
undeveloped, and the insufficiently nourished, the
bicycle seems to work wonders. All the powers
are accelerated and a general renewing of tissues
takes place. The organs of digestion are stimulated
and do better work, the appetite improves, the com-
plexion brightens, and the mind responds readily.
But people of either of these classes should be care-
ful not to prolong exercise until loss of appetite is
brought about; for the exercise should tend to in-
crease, not to decrease, the desire for food and
power of assimilation.
Baths should be taken in moderation, the skin be-
ing kept in free, healthy condition by dry rubs and
tepid baths until the system is brought to the state
where the cold bath can be used beneficially. The
diet should be generous and wholesome, and care
should be taken to avoid food that does not digest
easily. Sufficient clothing should be worn but not
too much, and all exercise should be avoided that
EXERCISE, 173
might produce very copious perspiration. Only a
healthy activity of the skin should be induced, and
plenty of water drunk.
Do not work nervously. Go to work gently, and
save your energies to make the wheels go around.
A thin person can remain thin and a fat person re-
main fat while exercising assiduously if the exercise
is not properly directed.
To overcome fat, persistent, systematic, and regu-
lar exercise is needed, and attention to diet must be
considered essential. For the food consumed pro-
duces certain results; and if the system selects and
digests most readily the fat-producing elements,
their amount should be curtailed, and a diet of good
working quality chosen. Fat is burned in producing
heat ; but if the same amount of fat-producing ele-
ments are again taken into the system, the same
amount of fat results. The fat-producing tendency
must be overcome, and the fat already accumulated
consumed, until a good healthy average of tissue is
produced and maintained.
Tea and coffee are not foods; they retard the as-
similation of tissue, and must be eliminated from
the diet of the weight-reducer. Sugar and starch —
the latter when eaten is converted into sugar — are
heat-producing foods, first forming fats which are
used as energy-producing material. Persons wishing
to reduce weight, therefore, must manufacture, not
so much fat, but bone and sinew. To produce these,
nitrogenous foods must be eaten. Fat consists
largely of water; and heavy work, like hill-climbing,
which induces free perspiration, is desirable. But
1 7 4 BJC Y CLING FOR LA DIES,
any one wishing to seriously undertake weig^ht-re-
duction should learn to enjoy bicycling for itself be-
fore attempting this application of the exercise.
Excess of fat produces physical laziness, which is
hard to overcome; and stout persons, after exercise,
crave fat-producing elements of food to reduce the
tissue consumed. A taste seems to develop for sweet
stuff and mild stimulants, and it is difficult to refrain
from indulging it. Stout people are apt to believe,
also, that they cannot endure exercise. They cannot
comfortably, and must work with care until they are
in a fair state of balance, where exercise ceases to
fatigue, before attempting anything like scientific
weight-reducing. Sufficient exercise regularly ta-
ken, proper diet persistently selected, will finally
have the desired eflEect.
Exercise sufficiently to produce good, thorough
perspiration ; take a bath and rub down, and put on
fresh clothing; avoid tea and coffee, sugar and ice
cream, dessert and pastry.
For those in health and in the habit of exercising
regularly, there are only the dangers of the sport to
avoid while enjoying its pleasures and benefits.
CHAPTER XXL
Training,
If you intend a fifty-mile or a week's trip awheel,
it will be very necessary to accustom yourself to the
woik before attempting a distance you have not yet
covered. Suppose, though your muscles are unac-
customed to long-continued exercise, that you know
how to wheel a bicycle and are anxious to go with
your friends. They perhaps wheel for an hour or
two hours daily, or for several hours twice a week.
They are afraid to take you with them ; and you feel
sure that you can go as far as they do, and at the
same rate of speed.
You must make your opportunity and prove your
ability. Suppose you can wheel for half an hour
without fatigue. Wheel that half-hour every day
the weather permits; know your distance and your
road ; and then practise increasing speed, that is, do
your distance in less than the half-hour without
hurry. Start slowly, and keep the pace until you
get your breathing apparatus steady; then ride fast-
er, and maintain that pace; and so on, in increasing
ratio. If you have been in the habit of covering
your distance in five minutes under the half-hour,
next time add that distance to your spin, and do it
176 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
in your limit time. When you easily do five miles
in half an hour on the road, add a mile or more for
the next two or three spins; then do not wheel for
one day ; the next day wheel twice the distance,
wheel eight miles, and rest a day. Then double
your distance again. If you cannot do this without
feeling the effects seriously, go back to where you
made your greatest distance with ease, and start
from that point again.
Keep a careful record of your outings, dates, wind,
sun, time of day, and humidity. The latter is very
important, for on a hot, dry day, greater distance
can be done with safety than when evaporation is
slow. Consider all the conditions when you find
that you are fatigued, and decide if the trouble is
with yourself or with the weather. Do not start for
at least an hour after eating, and always rest after
exercise before taking a meal. Observing these di-
rections, you will soon find that you are making very
fair progress, that your confidence is assured, and
that you have acquired a certain amount of endurance,
and can attempt any reasonable distance.
Exercise transforms, making the inactive capable
of performing work and of enjoj^ing opportunities
for using their newly discovered powers. The weak
are strengthened; the strong retain and renew their
stores of strength; the j'oung are symmetrically de-
veloped, and the older remain supple and active.
Exercise preserves and develops all parts of the or-
ganism that are capable of performing work. Exer-
cise is work, muscular work; and in working the
muscles, all the tissues become readjusted, and all
TRAINING, 177
materials and accumulations tending to hinder
movement are diminished in quantity and equalized
in distribution.
Ease of movement and a state of muscular inactiv-
ity are incompatible. To be active, one must work ;
and the whole organism will respond, and adjust it-
self to the conditions imposed by occupation and
manner of living. The complicated mechanisms
and intricate processes of the human body adapt
themselves to required conditions; it is only neces-
sarv to determine what those conditions shall be to
produce certain results.
It is difficult for some to overcome the tendency
to a state of inactivity ; and there are others to whom
even the contemplation of repose is distasteful.
The physiological effects produced by exercise differ
in different individuals, active persons and those
not in the habit of doing muscular work being very
differently affected. For exercise, of whatever kind,
is muscular work, and ** muscular work tends to mod-
ify the nutrition of all motor organs and to give them
a structure favorable for the performance of work."
All muscular work is done through the contractile
power of the muscles. By use the fibres become
freed from fat and other accumulations, the muscles
increase in size, the contractile power becomes great-
er, and the impedimenta of fat, etc., are removed by
the processes that are accelerated by movement.
** Repose causes atrophy of muscular tissue, " and the
necessary discernment and powers of discrimination
must be cultivated to avoid a tendency either in the
direction of over-doing or of insufficient exercise.
17^ BICYCLIXG FOR LADIES,
•*The effect of musctilar exercise is to render vital
combustion more active; it causes more active pro-
cesses of assimilation. " ' ' Muscular education leads
to an econc my of forces. Practice leads to a diminu-
tion of muscular expenditure" — more- work done for
power expended. For the power to perform work
depends on knowing how to do it properly. Real
strength lies, not so much in the mass of muscular
tissue as in the ability to use it.
"Exercise of strength demands the simultaneous
action of a great number of muscles." ** Exercise
of speed involves repetition of movement and the
application of nervous energy." "Exercises of en-
durance permit of economy of fatigue," and are
characterized by the necessity of perfect equilibrium
between muscular effort and the powers of assimila-
tion of the system.
In exercise of strength, every muscle should bring
its whole force into play, and the bony structure is
united by pressure to make a rigid whole. "Exer-
cises of speed are accompanied by fatigue out of
proportion to the mechanical work represented."
"Every movement needs the intervention of a gxcat
number of muscles; each muscle must contract with
definite force in order that the whole work may lead
to definite movement."
Co-ordination is the operation of choosing the
muscles which shall participate in a certain move-
ment and of regulating the exact quantity of nervous
energy necessary to produce the right amount of
contraction. Automatism is acquired by practice;
and the muscles must be exercised regularly to en-
TRAINING. 179
able them to respond intuitively. A complicated
series of movement can only be acquired gradually,
unless the mind has a large number of muscular
combinations at command.
** Exhaustion will result from overwork even when
well fed." ** Exercises of endurance do not disturb
the working of tne organs; while increasing their
activity, it gives to the system the power to repair
wasted tissue, even during work. *' Carbonic acid is
not»formed in excess, and is eliminated without pro-
ducing noticeable results.
The bicyclist, even though indulging moderately
in the pastime, must consider these things, and de-
termine the course to be pursued; otherwise the
exercise will prove a bane instead of a blessing.
There are principles capable of general or special
application; and there are special laws that maybe
generalized; and all may be made to accord with
the exercise of bicycling, but each individual must
accept a certain responsibility in the matter. The
bicycle having been accepted' as a means, the end
sought for can be attained only by its intelligent use
and application.
One of the many advantages of cycling is that the
exercise involved is not limited to the use of any one
set of muscles. The legs propel the machine, the
muscles of the trunk engage in balancing the body,
and the arms are employed in steering and control-
ling the front wheel. All the larger joints are active,
and are made supple as well as strengthened and de-
veloped. Muscles, unless directed by mental effort,
are useless. The bones give stiffness, and act as
l8o BICYCUXG FOR LADIES.
levers and tulcrums; the muscles are tools of the
mind, levers wherewith to pull and push the bones
into position.
Precision of movement means economy of expen-
diture of force, no more effort being expended than
is necessary for the act of the moment. People who
hunt for the pedal, and try for the saddle two or
three times, and fall off because the bicycle fails to
start, work hard enough to have mounted a number
of times; that is, they have lifted or supported their
own weight in different directions a number of times
without attaining their object. They appear to be
awkward; they are really unaccustomed to their
work. Practice will accustom the muscles to the
work they have to do.
Try to do one thing only at a time. If it is mount-
ing, for instance, memorize each thing that must be
done; how, when, and where to doit. Do not think,
because the mind does not at once grasp all that is
forced upon its attention, that your brain is of infe-
rior quality; it may not be able to adapt itself to that
particular mental process at that minute. But the
effort made will result in added tissue, and next time
there will be more hope of success. Increase by a
little at a time the amount of exercise undertaken.
You can gauge the practice you need only by the
amount of attention you give to the subject. After
muscles are once trained to an exercise, the mind
will not readily lose power to reproduce the combi-
nation, and experience begins to help.
Endurance means well-directed strength as well as
capacity of power stored in reserve ; and the aim of
TRAINING, i8i
all athletic work is to give an increased store of
strength, vitality, and power to draw upon, not
merely to expend the stock already on hand.
The muscular development that comes with bicy-
cle exercise will often cause surprise. In persons
unaccustomed to active exercise, the increase is most
noticeable on the chest and forearms, the chest de-
velopment increasing two and three inches, the
arm and forearm in proportion, and the whole mus-
cular system gaining in firmness and tone. Persist-
ent bicycling, prolonged exercise on the wheel, speed
work on the track, develop. disproportionately the
muscle of the leg. The track-man, therefore, pre-
pares for his season of work, not by exercising and
developing his legs, but by general exercise and
special work that will develop the arms and back and
other sets of muscles not called upon for heavy work
during the season when he is to do his best. Get-
ting up speed, increasing speed, and hill-climbing
all tend to develop the muscles of the leg, which in
such exercise are called upon for the heavy work of
push and thrust, using a concentrated power to pro-
pel. Light dumbbell work is recommended as a
good alternate for bicj^cle work and a means of keep-
ing the muscular system in balance.
Leisure and the weather limit bicycling; other
causes are incidental. The weather, indeed, affects bi-
cycling more than any other sport. One of the most
imperative needs of bicycling is rapid evaporation,
and conditions that do not permit of that are unfavor-
able. Observe atmospheric conditions, therefore, and
avoid severe work when the dew point is approached.
l82 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
All the hard work wanted can be accomplished in
half an hour after the wheel has been taken out; or
it may be used as a vehicle for travelling steadily
hour after hour for days consecutively; or an invig-
orating spin of two or three hours may be taken,
regulating the pace and the work. One of the things
to know about a bicycle is that you can get almost
any kind of work you want out of it. To realize
that you are doing the work you have been ac-
customed to have a horse do for you, and in a simi-
lar way, and to know that many of a horseman's
rules for the care of their working animals may be
equally well applied to human beings who do the
same work, is apt, perhaps, to cause a sensation of
unpleasant surprise. It is a fact, however, that
there is much information about the care of horses
that the cj'clist may study and apply with advan-
tage.
The bicycle is not an iron horse; it is more like
skates; is in some things like a boat; in some like
a coasting sled ; and in many ways is different from
anything else. It seems alive at times, as does a
boat ; but it is the power propelling it that causes
the delusion. The only thing alive about bicycles
is the persons who propel them ; and if they are only
half alive before attempting to mount, they will be-
come very alert and keenly appreciative of all that
concerns them long before the sport has ceased to be
a novelty.
** Exercise is important as a regulator of nutri-
tion.'* ** The best athletic exercise for increasing
the size of the chest is that which compels the deep*
TRAINING, 183
est inspiration." The lower limbs, with their mass-
es of muscular tissue, are most capable of awakening
the respiratory need which is proportioned to the
expenditure of force. Exercise induces change of
shape as well as change of size ; and too much exer-
cise of any one kind will produce a local effect.
Breathlessness is not the only form of fatigue,
and fats are not the only reserve material. Nitro-
genous products of combustion, which cannot be
derived from fatty substances, are produced by
work; and these are stored among the reserve mate-
rial, and produce stiffness, as fat produces breath-
lessness.
In no other sport is the blood sent coursing
through the veins in the same way as in bicycling;
and as there is not a very great quantity of that
wonderful fluid passing and repassing through the
circulatory system, any obstruction or pressure is
instantly felt and provided for. To avoid giving
nature unnecessary trouble in providing for inter-
rupted or unequal circulation, not even a glove that
is the least tight should be worn ; indeed, the cover-
ing of head, hands, and feet should be carefully se-
lected. And the same precaution should be exercised
with regard to all clothing. No tight underwear
should be worn, and nothing like equestrian tights,
which interfere with surface circulation. The waist
and lower ribs must be kept free. You should never
ride so hard as to allow the air to force the ribs out
and in, so that you cannot control them. It is a
good rule not to ride so hard that you cannot hold
your breath at pleasure.
184 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
It is important always to remove perspiration be-
fore cooling; therefore, take a bath at once on com-
ing in from a ride; if you cannot do that, rub off with
a dry towel, or sponge with tepid water, and rub dr)'
gently; then put on dry underclothing. The cold
bath is most invigorating and refreshing, and never
more refreshing than after bicycle exercise ; but all
cannot use it with good results. Provide for your
change of underclothing before starting out, and if
you do not intend to return, take it with you.
Remember always that it is essential to provide
an entire covering for the body that will admit of
free exhalations, and warm enough to prevent chill-
ing under all circumstances. While riding, provided
the condensing moisture is allowed to escape, it is
quite possible to feel overheated, yet the skin must
be protected from chill resulting from rapid motion
through the air. Air pressure and evaporation near-
ly balance each other, and the extra heat caused by
exertion is tempered by moisture and the constant
fanning of rapid locomotion. These effects are most
appreciably felt upon halting. If the covering is
thin, of light weight, and of too hard a texture to
admit of quick passage of air and steam, the garments
at once become saturated with moisture, and a seri-
ous chilling follows. Even if the halt be but short,
it will be found that an appreciable time passes after
remounting before one becomes warm, and the dis-
taste for work that follows is a sure indication that
something is amiss. If energy were preserved, in-
stead of wasted in warming up after halting, the
benefit of the rest would be felt.
TRAINING, 185
A proper porous material should be always worn.
With a flannel shirt-waist and woollen sweater, even
in quite warm weather, riding is not at all uncom-
fortable; but substitute a Holland linen coat for the
sweater, and the rider will be first very warm, and
then very damp indeed and most uncomfortable.
Nature provides various means for keeping the body
at an even temperature, and it is most essential not
to disturb this balance. While working, heat is
generated, the skin becomes moist, and a normal
temperature is maintained by the rapid evaporation.
Too little covering means too great evaporation and
lowering of temperature; and even if no chill is
experienced, the too rapid cooling x^revents good
working results, and stiffness is apt to set in with
fatigue after the day's work, and a languid, sleepy
feeling on the day following.
Too much stress cannot be laid on the necessity
of being able easily and expeditiously to adjust or
redistribute the clothing. Flannel is a good non-
conductor of heat, but the bicyclist must use dis-
crimination in selection. Too heavy flannel will
induce a copious and weakening perspiration; in-
sufficient clothing will allow the body to be chilled
by too rapid evaporation.
One of the greatest benefits to be derived from
bicycle exercise is the free, healthy action of the
skin that is induced. If this activity is retarded by
pressure, much injury may be done by the holding
and reabsorbing of waste matter. This reabsorbed
matter, which is a direct poison and must be worked
off again in the complexities of the system, causes
l86 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
languor and headache and a feeling that exercise is
of no benefit, as indeed it is not if proper hygienic
laws are not complied with.
While in the open air, there is little danger to be
apprehended from damp clothing, as oxidation is
going on freely. It is under shelter that danger
lurks, where the air does not circulate freely. The
underwear should be changed before eating, or the
food will do little good. Where you can get shelter,
you can usually find conveniences for making the
change ; otherwise, it is better to eat in the open air.
Digestion involves muscular action as well as
chemical processes. Wherever in the system mus-
cular work is being done, the blood is needed in large
quantity to enable the muscular processes to con -
tinue. In the process of digestion important chem-
ical work is accomplished by the action of certain
juices or secretions of the stomach, and rhythmical
muscular work in the walls and coatings of the
stomach is required to regulate their supply. It may
be easily understood, therefore, that digestion should
be properly or rather uninterruptedly accomplished,
and it cannot be thus properly accomplished if too
much of the blood supply is called away in the earlier
stages of assimilation.
Active muscular work should never be undertaken
immediately after a full meal. The more food
there is to be digested, the more work there is to be
done, the less capable is the rest of the system for
severe work. Such work, after eating heavily,
would involve an interruption, almost a suspension,
of digestive processes, and a consequent difficulty
TRAINING, 187
in the adjustment of the processes involved in mus-
cular work. It would mean a much longer time to
get the second wind, inability to do hard or heavy
work, as well as inability to prolong the work with-
out discomfort. Such a course of action must lead
to serious complications and derangements of the
digestive functions and eventually induce liability
to disease.
It is very injurious, also, to attempt to perform
heavy work fasting, or to prolong the period of ex-
ercise when food or rest is required. The human
machine requires a certain amount of fuel, and the
supply must be taken at regular intervals, or re-
served material, which is too valuable to be reckless-
ly expended, will be consumed.
A mixed diet, with plenty of variety, is the best
to work on, everything to be thoroughly cooked.
Three good meals a day, and no eating between
meals; though, when tired, it is not well to work on
an empty stomach, and if you are delayed it is better
to eat something while waiting than to go too long
without eating. Beef and mutton are always good
food; and fresh vegetables, fruit, milk and eggs,
and cereals either with cream and sugar or milk and
sugar. Simple desserts are not harmful, neither are
they necessary.
The so-called sustaining power of stimulants
merely enables one to burn up reserve tissue, to use
up more fuel, to produce more power. Work done
under such conditions is forced work, like the forced
draught of a steam-engine using power to force the
air into the furnace. In both cases, intense heat
1 88 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
and great power can be produced, and corresponding
radiation and depression occur while the system is
undergoing its processes of restoration. Tea, coffee,
bouillon, are stimulating, and good as food accesso-
ries; but they are not good to work on.
CHAPTER XXII.
Breathlessness; The Limit Mechanical.
Seated awheel, the bicyclist feels master of the
situation. The bicycle obeys the slightest impulse,
moving at will, almost without conscious ejffort, vir-
tually as much a part of the rider, and as easily
under control, as hand or foot. It is because weight
is supported and friction overcome that the bicy-
clist loses consciousness of effort as he moves, with
seemingly no limit to endurance.
A trouble often experienced is breathlessness.
For this there are several causes. Sometimes the
machine is started too hurriedly and before the pro-
cesses of the body have had time to adjust themselves.
To work easily, the muscles must be heated gradual-
ly, until they are brought to the proper point of ten-
sion. Again, the easy movement of the wheel often
causes the cyclist to become oblivious of the fact that
the muscles are working quickly while doing easy
work, that the power applied is being converted into
speed with little appreciable effort, until suddenly
his breath becomes labored, and a halt must be made
for rest. We need not attempt here to give the
figures for power expended and work done, though
both factors may be estimated.
190 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
Technically, eflFort is a physiological condition in-
volving complicated chemical changes and concen-
tration of power. The work of the lungs is done
mechanically, automatically, is muscular work, in-
volving chemical changes and giving chemical re-
sults. We breathe in air full of oxygen ; we exhale
air loaded with carbonic acid. Muscular effort pro-
duces carbonic acid through chemical changes in the
tissues of the body. The oxygen of the air, taken
into the lungs to purify the blood, is absorbed and
stored. Easy muscular movements give off a limited
quantity of carbonic acid and other products, but not
more than can be eliminated without readjustment
of processes. When a succession of efforts is made,
involving the manufacture of larger quantities of
carbonic acid, the eliminating capacity is correspond-
ingly taxed.
In making an effort, the lungs become momen-
tarily fixed, and their regular respirator)' movement
is suspended. Carbonic acid is held, not given off,
and a feeling of suffocation is observed. Unless res-
piration is restored by a pause, poisoning by the
waste products ensues, they being reabsorbed, and
inducing discomfort and fatigue. Working with
effort, the lungs should be free to expand and
contract. To this end it is all-important to exhale,
expelling the air from the lungs by compression
of the chest after severe exertion. Air rushes
naturally into the chest cavity; attention, there-
fore, should be directed, not to getting in air,
but to expelling the air already in the lungs. This
successfully done assists materially in bringing
BREATHLESSNESS; LIMIT MECHANICAL. 191
about that desirable condition known as '* second
wind,*' and gives control over the muscles of the
chest, which enables waste products to be readily
eliminated.
** The intensity of breathlessness during exercise
is in direct proportion to the expenditure of force
demanded by the exercise in a given time. ' ' Breath-
lessness is due to power expended in a limited time.
This, at least, "is one of the inducing causes. On
the bicycle, power is converted into speed. In hill-
climbing, shortness of wind is due not so much to
position on the wheel as to the amount of power ex-
pended in doing the work. If power is wasted, the
work attempted is usually not accomplished; if in-
telligently expended, the work is done easily and well,
leaving the bicyclist in condition to renew the effort
when necessary.
Hill-climbing is*like stair-climbing; power is ex-
pended in a succession of efforts made in raising the
weight on an ascending plane. The weight must
be lifted, either pushed up or pulled up, and the res-
piratory need is increased. The hill-climber must
aim to mount with as little effort as possible and to
make the ascent with the minimum expenditure of
power.
Rapidly increased heart-beat is accompanied by
deeply inflated lungs and a tendency the bicyclist
should guard against to work open-mouthed. Here
the question of tight clothing comes prominently
forward. Sitting erect and holding by the handle-
bars, the bicyclist's upper chest muscles are held
comparatively fixed or rigid; the arms, being used
192 BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
for support, act as levers holding down the upward
expansion of the chest. The air, being compressed,
is forced laterally and downward. The downward
expansion of the chest is checked by the movement
of pedaling, there being a constant upward pressure
in the ascending stroke and an increased muscular
compression in the descending stroke. With a tight
belt, the breathing is chiefly upward, and downward
when sitting or walking, the lateral expansion de-
pending on the width and compression of the belt.
When working on a bicycle, with the hands fixed
and holding hard, the upper chest is comparatively
rigid, the muscles below the diaphragm hard at
work; and muscles at work do not admit of compres-
sion, which prevents the diaphragm from moving
downward. The diaphragm is a muscular wall,
stretched across the trunk below the lung cavity and
near the waist-line. If the lower muscles of the
trunk are actively at work, the diaphragm can be
distended but a little way in a downward direction
by lung pressure. The air in the lungs, which are
hard at work, and over-full, presses against the heart,
and makes harder w^ork for that organ. When the
lungs are distended, any clothing that can be felt
about the waist exerts more or less pressure. The
lungsof a bicyclist at work are constantly distended,
seldom deflated, and an equal pressure is exerted in
all directions. The diaphragm is forced downward,
pressure comes on the large blood-vessels, and the
legs feel tired as one of the results of the constric-
tion. Pressure on the heart and the large blood
vessels of the lung cavity causes rush of blood to the
BREATHLESSNESS; LIMIT MECHANICAL, 1 93
head and gives a heated look to the face and a feel-
ing of faintness and headache.
The muscles of the waist are elastic, but lose their
elasticity when not in use. Fat accumulates, and is
pressed down, usually below the belt, causing the
muscles of the figure to sag and the trunk to lose its
proper lines. Compression of the waist while cy-
cling is dangerous, and will cause enlargement of
the hips and distort the lines of the figure below and
above the waist. If tight clothing must be worn,
do not wear it while exercising anymore than while
sleeping.
Bicycling is a great equalizer of tissue. The sys-
tem, when this exercise is moderately indulged, is
freshened as is a city by a heavy rain, all accumula-
tions and deposits being swept away.
There is a difference, a very great difference,
between muscular fatigue and breathlessness, and
the two conditions should not be confused. Breath-
lessness is general fatigue; muscular fatigue is
fatigue localized. Wheh you are breathless, all your
muscles are tired ; they do not want to work and are
indeed incapable of performing work. Work per-
formed by the lower limbs causes breathlessness
more quickly than any other kind of exertion, and
the bicyclist must bear this fact in mind. The res-
piratory need is increased in proportion to the
amount of carbonic acid in the blood. The lower
limbs can perform a great deal of work in a few
seconds, the large masses of muscle in the legs at
work throwing large quantities of carbonic acid into
the blood to be given off or eliminated by the lungs.
194 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
Each individual has his own limit or pace, at
which he can do work most easily. If this pace is
exceeded, effort follows and increased expenditure
of power; a greater quantity of carbonic acid is pro-
duced to be given off; and fatigue is induced sooner
than when working at the pace which can be kept
without extraordinary exertion. Every bicyclist
knows his own natural pace, and when departing
from that must expect to be winded sooner or later.
Rapid work on the bicycle is similar, as muscular
exertion, to running, racing, speeding, and sprinting.
Here we have the time limit, — great speed pro-
duced in a short time; tissue consumed, and carbon-
ic acid produced in large quantities to be quickly
eliminated. Increased effort means more power ex-
pended. The fixed lung cavity means lessened
capacity for increased air-consumption and greatly
lessened means of inhaling and expelling air. One
of the effects produced by carbonic acid in the blood
is a stimulation to increased effort, which causes a
desire to prolong work afteV reasonable limits have
been exceeded, a feeling that more must be done,
rather than a desire to stop and rest.
Second wind is the condition produced by the ad-
justment of the processes of the body to the new
state of exertion, where the heart and lungs balance
and work according to the demands of the new con-
dition. A pendulum, slipped on its spindle and let
go, swings irregularly until it finds its new rhythm.
The rhythm that corresponds with its weight, mo-
mentum and length of spindle, leverage, is the
rhythm of the work. All repeated work has a
BREATHLESSNESS; LIMIT MECHANICAL, 1 95
rhythm, and the movement disturbed requires a
little time for readjustment. The heart and lungs
work automatically and rhythmically, and any new
movement disturbs their rhythm, which must be ad-
justed for change of occupation or exercise until the
balance of the working functions is established.
The second wind usually comes after the first
fifteen minutes of work. Quickly acquired, it means
rapid and easy adjustment of processes, a quick re-
sponse to effort, and little power wasted. Though
individuals. differ in this respect, a difficulty in get-
ting the second wind, when exercise has been sus-
pended for a time, will sometimes be experienced,
and care should be taken not to overwork when tak-
ing up an exercise that has been for some time dis-
continued.
When you have had exercise enough, stop and rest.
Change of occupation, turning from active mental
work to active muscular work, has been said to give
rest to the mental faculties. Though they perhaps
do, in a sense, experience rest, it might be unwise to
assert that this rest is really recuperative. Repeated
alternation from active mental exercise to active
physical exercise would inevitably result in a state
of exhaustion, in which the reserve fund of energ)^
or strength would be completely consumed. It is a
more accurate statement that a certain amount of
muscular work, which will restore the balance of the
system, is a good preparation for rest after active
mental exertion.
During mental work of any kind, muscular work
must be performed; for breathing, seeing, moving
196 BICYCLING FOR LADIES,
the hands, require muscular movement. The ques-
tion, therefore, resolves itself into one of degree of
work done and equilibrium of forces to be main-
tained, rather than one of restoration of one set of
faculties by the overtaxing of another set. Good
muscular work cannot be accomplished without the
exercise of brain and will; therefore, when the mind
is actively employed, a certain amount of muscular
tissue is consumed, though not enough to maintain
the system in a state of bodily activity. For body
and mind, to be in a state of perfect health or equi-
librium, should be equally active.
The tissues of the body are constantly renewed,
and the amount of work, mental or muscular, that
can be accomplished is determined by these con-
stantly renewing processes. The amount of material
taken up and stored for use depends upon the amount
of material needed ; and this is gauged by the amount
of work already done, and restricted by the amount
of work the material is capable of performing. The
balance of work and rest, quantity and quality,
varies with different temperaments.
Training means nothing more than preparation.
For those engaged in active mental occupation it is
well to consider if they are giving themselves the
best preparation for resisting the fatigue consequent
upon their occupation. Cycling is a pastime and
sport, and may be a relaxation and the alternate of
other athletic exercises. After the machine is under
control, the muscular work becomes virtually auto-
matic; and for this reason cycling, in its various
forms, has proved so beneficial as a relaxation.
BREATHLESSNESS; LIMIT MECHANICAL, 197
Overwork produces the effect of poisoning of the
system, and reduces its power of resistance. This
poisoning is produced by the waste products of the
system, which accumulate during work, as the forces
for eliminating them are overtaxed; and before
work can be properly resumed, the poison must be
eliminated from the system, and the power-producing
materials again stored for use.
Stiffness is a form of fatigue due to an accumula-
tion of deposits in the tissues, which are best removed
by exercising after a period of rest. With their re-
moval, stiffness disappears, to return with fresh de-
posits if exercise is again prolonged. The amount
of material not taken up by the system lessens with
regular exercise, and the tendency to stiffness grad-
ually disappears. The only remedy for stiffness is
work, then rest, then work again. Sleep does not
always come to the over-tired, and we may therefore
conclude that it is better to be rested before attempt-
ing to sleep.
A pause, to be recuperative, need not be prolonged ;
fifteen minutes* rest after exertion should be suffi-
cient; and during a day's work, this fifteen minutes*
rest between changes of occupation, not including
the quiet necessary for digestion, will keep one fresh.
A pause longer than fifteen minutes prepares or re-
adjusts the processes. Do no work, mental or mus-
cular,. for at least an hour after a meal; and sleep in
a cool — not cold — well-ventilated room.
Low tension power usually accomplishes its object
without waste. Work done at high pressure, that
might be done at low pressure, indicates waste of
19^ BICYCLING FOR LADIES.
effort under strain. The intense concentration of
effort when the beginner is struggling with a bicycle
is made at high pressure. The excitement of the
unexpected probably has something to do with this,
as well as the novelty of the situation. If all bicycle
work required the same state of tension, however, it
could not be long endured ; the strain would be too
great.
There is a certain amount you can do, or think you
can do; this is one measure of your capacity. The
work you do is done by stored energy. How may
that energy be applied to give the best results?
The intricate workings of the mind we may not at-
tempt to analyze: what we do, we do because we
wish to, or because we ought, or because we must.
Concentrated effort, persistent effort, continuous
effort, all consume force. When you dread any-
thing you have undertaken as too difficult of ac-
complishment, just so much more force is required
to overcome that idea. If, mounted on your bicycle,
you wheel along in a state of apprehension, you in-
duce a high nervous tension that requires a great
reserve of power to resist and supply. Fear, or a
sense of insecurity, or a lack of confidence, produces
the same result. A bicycle is run by the direct
application of power; and power diverted is power
wasted.
In wheeling, after the invigorating freshness of the
exercise has reached a certain point, the benefit de-
rived lessens with the amount of power drawn from
the reserve. Bicycle exercise, moreover, to be really
beneficial, should be alternated with other exercise.
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